Seilenthang Lotjem’s crucial second-half goal led Namdhari Sports Club to a 1-0 victory over Real Kashmir FC in the Indian Football League (IFL) 2025-26 at TRC Stadium in Srinagar. This win marked Namdhari SC’s first victory of the season, propelling them to sixth place in the league with six points from five matches. Real Kashmir FC, on the other hand, remains in ninth place with two points from the same number of games. Niraj Kumar of Namdhari SC was named the Man of the Match.
Real Kashmir FC Assistant Coach, Masood Maqbool, made two changes to their starting lineup for their first home match of the season. Namely, Shahid Nazir replaced the suspended Habib Fofana in defense, and Marius Obekop started in attack instead of Seijoseph Haokip. Namdhari SC Head Coach, Harpeet Singh, made a single change, bringing back Lamine Moro from suspension to replace Manbir Singh.
The match saw both teams struggling to dominate the midfield in the initial exchanges, leading to frequent turnovers in the first half-hour. Set-pieces emerged as the most promising opportunities for both sides, with Real Kashmir relying on long throw-ins and Namdhari aiming to capitalize on free-kicks and corner kicks.
In the first half, both goalkeepers faced limited threats, with Najib Ibrahim and Karan Kumar Sharma testing Real Kashmir’s Furkan Ahmad Dar and Namdhari’s Niraj Kumar, respectively. The best chance of the half fell to Real Kashmir, but a crucial clearance off the line by Karan Sharma kept the score level at halftime.
The second half saw Namdhari SC starting with more purpose, with Seilenthang Lotjem breaking the deadlock just after the hour mark. Despite Real Kashmir’s efforts to equalize, Namdhari held onto their lead until the final whistle, securing their first win of the season.
