South Asians in Football Weekly: Otis Khan and Leicester’s Arjan Raikhy win on debut as Yan Dhanda and Brandon Khela make history | Football News

The newest version of South Asians in Soccer Weekly is out after one other glorious week for the neighborhood within the Lovely Recreation…

Arjan Raikhy made a long-awaited debut for Leicester Metropolis within the Foxes’ 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round win against Birmingham City.

Sky Sports News exclusively revealed last summer that FA Youth Cup-winner Raikhy was on the verge of signing for Leicester as a free agent after leaving Aston Villa.

The central midfielder got here on as a second-half substitute for one among Leicester’s goalscorers, Yunus Akgun, within the victory on the King Energy Stadium.

Jamie Vardy and Dennis Praet have been the opposite goalscorers as Leicester arrange an away journey to Premier League Bournemouth within the fifth spherical.

Bivesh Gurung was concerned in one of many weekend’s characteristic video games as Maidstone United produced one of the biggest FA Cup shocks of all time to reach the fifth round with a 2-1 victory at Portman Road to stun Championship highflyers Ipswich Town.

The Nationwide League South membership, who sit 98 locations beneath Ipswich, are the primary facet exterior of the highest 5 tiers to progress this far within the competitors since Blyth Spartans in 1978, having entered within the second qualifying spherical.

Gurung got here on simply after the hour mark, three minutes earlier than Sam Corne rifled house a well-known winner for the non-League membership to cap a superb counter-attacking transfer.

Fellow Nepali Kiban Rai was additionally in FA Cup motion at this weekend, that includes as a 78th-minute substitute in Newport County’s 4-2 loss to Manchester United at Rodney Parade.

Brandon Khela bought his first style of top-division soccer as he made his first league begin in Ross County’s historic Scottish Premiership clash with Celtic.

Yan Dhanda captained the Staggies for the trip to ‘Paradise’ as Ross County became the first Premiership side in SPFL history to field two British South Asians in their starting line-up.

Khela, Loick Ayina, Teddy Jenks and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson all made their Ross County debuts, nevertheless it was a removed from ideally suited begin, with Alistair Johnston opening the scoring for the 53-time Scottish champions within the first minute.

However County carried out admirably for the rest of the encounter at Celtic Park.

Khela produced some deft touches in simply over an hour on the pitch, with talisman Dhanda probably the most potent attacking menace for the guests, notably from set-pieces, as Celtic have been restricted to a 1-0 win.

Dhanda has since agreed a pre-contract at Hearts, which is able to, because it stands, see him transfer to Tynecastle Park when his Ross County contract expires in the summertime.

Ex-Manchester United teen Otis Khan bought off to a successful begin at his new membership as Hartlepool United beat York Metropolis.

Former England striker Kevin Phillips moved rapidly to signal Khan from Grimsby City final week, and the Pakistan worldwide performed 69 minutes on debut as Hartlepool ran out 2-1 winners.

In a social media publish after the sport, Khan wrote: “Buzzing with the win right now!

“Totally deserved three factors, and made as much as have made my Hartlepool United debut.

“Thanks for all of the unbelievable assist and messages.”

Khan’s worldwide team-mate Easah Suliman continued his blossoming begin to life in Azerbaijan with one other purpose for Sumqayit.

Suliman scored with a header on the finish of the primary half in a 1-1 draw for the Baku-based facet away at Araz Naxcivan.

Kira Rai regarded again to her greatest with one other barnstorming efficiency for Derby County Ladies as they eased into the FAWNL Plate semi-finals.

Rai bought an help on her return from a 10-week damage lay-off final weekend, and he or she was a thorn within the facet of the Sutton Coldfield City defence in a 5-0 win for the Ewes, in a sport which noticed Amy Sims assist herself to a hat-trick.

Sikh-Punjabi attacker Rai received a penalty for her facet when she was bundled over within the space by the identical defender she had nutmegged on the left flank moments earlier.

Rai then produced a second of magic to get on the scoresheet, choosing the ball up on the left facet of the realm, earlier than dragging it onto her left foot along with her studs and rapidly unleashing an unstoppable shot throughout City’s goalkeeper into the underside nook.

Derby County are actually simply 90 minutes away from the ultimate and have been handed an away tie at Exeter Metropolis.

Asmita Ale was named as an unused substitute for Leicester Metropolis’s 1-0 WSL win away at Everton after finishing a mortgage transfer to the membership from fellow WSL facet Tottenham earlier final week.

Safia Middleton-Patel, who featured in the 2022-23 South Asians in Football Team of the Season, saved her first Watford clear sheet because the Golden Women earned a 2-0 victory away at Durham to report their first win of 2024.

The Manchester United stopper joined Championship side Watford on a twin registration foundation earlier this month.

British South Asians in Football

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