Jaipur, March 13 (NationPress) In a stunning climax, Amadou Soukouna scored during injury time, helping Rajasthan United secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Namdhari Sports Academy in the Indian Football League 2025-26 at Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium this Friday.

The match commenced with Soukouna putting the home team ahead in the 13th minute, followed by Pedro Astray's goal in the 57th minute which doubled their lead. However, in a dramatic turnaround in the last ten minutes, Namdhari equalized through goals from Manvir Singh (83’) and Najib Ibrahim (90’). Just as the game seemed bound for a draw, Soukouna netted the decisive goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time, marking Rajasthan United's inaugural win of the season.

With this win, Rajasthan United ascended to fourth place in the league standings, accumulating four points from three matches, while Namdhari remained ninth with just two points.

Rajasthan's head coach, Vikrant Sharma, made five tactical changes for his first home game, introducing Gautam Virwani, Thomyo L. Shimray, Joseph Lalvenhina, Jonathan Reis, and Abdul Samed Ango in place of William Pauliankhum, Lalfelkina, Pangambam Naoba Meitei, Gerard Artigas, and Cedric Gogoua.

Conversely, Namdhari's coach, Harpreet Singh, opted for a single substitution, with Abdoulaye Diallo stepping in for midfielder Adersh Mattummal.

The visitors encountered difficulties early in the match, allowing Rajasthan to capitalize. Soukouna pressured defender Gurshan Singh, whose miscalculated clearance allowed Soukouna to slide the ball past goalkeeper Niraj Kumar.

Shortly after, Soukouna nearly doubled his tally, but Lamine Moro thwarted his effort with a crucial clearance off the line. Rajasthan kept the pressure on, with Pedro Astray striking the post and Shafeel PP forcing a fingertip save from the keeper.

As the first half progressed, Namdhari began to find their rhythm, creating opportunities especially from set-pieces, but failed to convert. Rajasthan captain and goalkeeper Bhabindra Malla Thakuri was called into action, making significant saves against free-kicks from Seilenthang Lotjem and Jaskaranpreet Singh.

In the second half, Niraj made an impressive save against a powerful free-kick from Pedro Astray. Rajasthan's persistence paid off when Pedro Astray scored his second goal of the season, following a rebound from a shot by Jonathan Reis.

The match took a turn when Moro received a red card, leaving Namdhari a man down. Despite this, they managed to score, with Manvir Singh finding the net in the 83rd minute.

Namdhari leveled the game dramatically with Najib Ibrahim scoring a last-minute goal, just as it seemed the match would end in a draw. But, in a thrilling conclusion, Rajasthan United found a final opportunity, leading to Soukouna’s powerful header into the net, igniting joy among the home fans.