Published: November 1, 2026 at 8:25 pm
Sreenidi Deccan FC began their Indian Football League (IFL) 2026-27 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Rajasthan United FC at the Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday.
Nishu Kumar scored the decisive goal in the 66th minute to secure all three points for the Deccan Warriors.
Sreenidi Deccan begin Indian Football League 2026-27 campaign away to Rajasthan United
The hosts enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening stages, but the first clear-cut opportunity fell to the Deccan Warriors after the opening 10 minutes. Adriano Castanheira delivered a cross from the left that found Jerry Mawia in the middle, but the winger was unable to connect cleanly, sending his effort off target.
As the first half progressed, both sides shared possession and looked to create openings in front of goal. Just before the referee signalled the cooling break, David Castaneda came close to breaking the deadlock when he met a cross from Jagdeep Singh, only to see his effort strike the crossbar.
Neither side managed to find the breakthrough before the half-time whistle, and the teams went into the interval with the score level at 0-0.
Rajasthan United FC came out strongly after the break, with an early effort from outside the box rattling the crossbar. Minutes later, Jagdeep Singh delivered a cross from the right to find David Castaneda inside the box, but the captain’s header went wide.
Nishu finds the goal for Sreenidi
As the Deccan Warriors stepped up the pressure, their persistence paid off in the 66th minute. Lalromawia made a promising run down the right flank before finding Adriano Castanheira, who laid the ball off to David Castaneda just outside the box.
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The captain then set up the onrushing Nishu Kumar, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net to give Sreenidi Deccan FC the lead. The Deccan Warriors remained defensively compact in the closing stages, managing the game well to preserve their advantage and secure a winning start to the season.
Nishu Kumar was subsequently named Player of the Match for his decisive contribution.
Head coach Antonio Rueda named Kamaljit Singh in goal, with Jagdeep Singh, Pritam Kotal, Hadi Idrissou and Nishu Kumar forming the backline. Pronay Halder anchored the midfield alongside Abhijith K and Adriano Castanheira, while Lalromawia and Jerry Mawia operated on the wings. Captain David Castaneda led the attack as the starting striker.
Sreenidi Deccan FC will next travel to Srinagar to face Real Kashmir FC on November 7 as they look to build on their winning start to the campaign.
