Jaipur: Rajasthan United Football Club (RUFC) squandered away a goal advantage to split points with Diamond Harbour FC after a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the Indian Football League (IFL) at the Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium here on Thursday.The draw halted the winning run of both the teams and also did not change their position in the league standings. Diamond Harbour FC increased their points tally to ten to maintain their second spot, while Rajasthan United FC added a point to take their tally to eight but stayed at the fifth place.After five rounds, Sreenidi Deccan led the ten-table league with ten points. After the completion of the round-robin league, the top six teams will qualify for the second round.The match began with both teams displaying discipline and tactical awareness, resulting in a closely contested first half where neither side was able to break the deadlock. The breakthrough came early in the second half when Brazilian forward Jonathan Fernandez stepped up confidently to convert a penalty, giving Rajasthan United FC a lead in the 51st minute of the game.The goal injected momentum into the home side, who continued to press forward in search of a second. However, Diamond Harbour FC responded with determination and eventually found the equaliser, ensuring that the outing ended with both teams sharing the spoils.R Ramdinthara scored a goal for the visitors in the 82nd minute to secure a point for his team, leaving the home fans disappointed.The RUFC head coach Vikrant Sharma shared his assessment, noting that the players demonstrated great effort and discipline throughout the match.“Taking the lead early in the second half was a positive moment, but there are few areas which require improvement,” Vikrant told TOI after the match. He reiterated the team’s determination to learn from this performance and approach the next match with greater focus and intent.Reflecting on the result, the RUFC chairman KK Tak acknowledged the challenging nature of the fixture and the team’s effort, stating that it was a tough contest against a strong opponent. He emphasised that while the club always strives for maximum points and the focus now shifts towards continuous improvement and stronger results in the upcoming fixtures.And we would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to all the distinguished guests and dignitaries for gracing the occasion and being a part of this match. Your presence and support mean a great deal to the club.The match was attended by several distinguished dignitaries, including chief guest Gopal Sharma (MLA), Sanjay Pachpor (RSS), and guest of honour Ram Prasad (Senior Pracharak, RSS, Patron). Among the special guests present were Bhupendra Sen (Pradesh Mahamantri, BJP, Jaipur, Rajasthan), Amit Goyal (District President, Jila Adhyaksh, JTPR Rajasthan), Dr Alpana Kateja (Vice Chancellor, University of Rajasthan), along with the managing director and chairman of Rajasthan United FC. The occasion was further graced by Tejinder Singh Jadouni, film actor and national brand ambassador of the club, film actress Riya Sagu, Raju Agarwal (Mangoriwala), and Sumit Kumar Yadav (CGST Commissioner).Rajasthan United FC extends their sincere gratitude to all supporters for their unwavering encouragement and presence. The club looks forward to building on this performance as they prepare for their next fixture against Chanmari FC on April 1, with the aim to deliver a stronger result.
