THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Churchill Brothers advance to the AFC Cup Round of 16

AFC Cup: New Radiant SC v Churchill Brothers SC

AFC Cup: New Radiant SC v Churchill Brothers SC

Churchill Brothers SC beat Maldivian outfit New Radiant SC 2-1 at the Galolhu National Stadium, Male in their final AFC Cup Group E fixture on Wednesday evening. The Red Machines qualified for the Round of 16 stage of the 2014 AFC Cup with this victory.

Fasir put New Radiant ahead in the 40th minute with a well taken free-kick before Naveen Kumar and Anthony Wolfe got on the score sheet in the second half to secure the win for the I-League side.

Churchill Brothers defender Sanjay Balmuchu was sent off for a foul inside the box after the restart, while Umair sent the resulting penalty over the crossbar. Moments later, New Radiant’s Quartey was given his marching orders after an altercation with Wolfe.

Churchill then made their hosts pay for their missed opportunities as they rallied to grab an equalizer in the 64th minute. Naveen Kumar found the back of the net with a well placed header and levelled the tie at 1-1.

Just three minutes later, Anthony Wolfe beat a defender and smashed the ball past the New Radiant goalkeeper and put the Red Machines 2-1 in the lead.

Churchill Brothers SC were able to hold on to the win which saw them finish second in their group with ten points and join Persipura Jayapura in the next round.