Army XI defeated Tollygunge Agragami 1-0 in Bangalore on Wednesday to make sure of a berth in the next round of the Second Division ONGC Cup 10th National Football League.
After both teams drew a blank in the first half, Army striker Ramachandran netted the lone goal of the match in the 54th minute, cashing in on a brilliant pass by substitute Raghu Kumar, who replaced Ibrahim a minute before.
The Kolkata outfit was reduced to 10 men when referee K N Thrivi of Kerala sent out Shovan Das by showing a red card for disputing a decision for obstructing Army midfielder Nguernilal in the 71st minute.
The armymen could have increased the tally, but for substitute Vijay Thapa, who, though succeeded in wresting the ball from Manoj Das, failed to score.
The combination of Nigerian strikers Abiodun G Benga Lawal and Bolwe M Putu did not help Agragami's cause.
Army XI topped the table with 10 points, with three wins and a draw, while Agragami had only one point from three encounters, as it lost two and drew one.