Gokulam Kerala FC notched up a solitary goal victory over Churchill Brothers FC in the I-League clash, thanks to a first-half Marcus Joseph strike at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Sunday.
In a wonderful gesture, the Gokulam management had declared that the proceeds from the game would be donated to the family of former Mohun Bagan and Quess East Bengal player Dhanarajan, who passed away under tragic circumstances last month, and the local crowd responded with an over 25,000 turnout.
The first clear chance of the game came Gokulam’s way in the 18th minute to centre-back Andre Ettienne. Ugandan forward Henry Kisekka then missed the best chance in the first half-hour, catching Churchill keeper Jaffar Mondal well outside his line, but his attempt at lobbing the keeper missed by a whisker.
The host broke through in the 38th minute via its talisman Marcus. Amiri got the assist with a wonderful ball into the box piercing the left-side of the Churchill defence. The Trinidadian striker followed through and his rasping drive beat Mondal to bulge the Churchill net.
Gokulam seemed to have taken its foot off the pedal a little bit in the second half, allowing Churchill to make some inciteful forays, but the finish was clearly missing on the day.
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Marcus in the 78th minute also had a chance to double his game tally, but his shot from the top of the box missed the target.
With the win, Gokulam now moves up to fourth on the table, while Churchill will move a spot down to sixth with 10 from seven games.
Real Kashmir returns to winning ways
A goal on either side of the break powered Real Kashmir to a 2-0 win over Indian Arrows in the I-League on Sunday. Mason Robertson (18th minute) and Gnohere Krizo (57th) scored the goals for the winning team.
It was RKFC’s first win in four matches, helping it to the seventh spot with nine points from seven games. Arrows, after its third straight defeat, remained at the bottom with four points from eight matches.
Mason, son of coach Dave, put RKFC ahead in the 18th minute. Mason jumped highest among all the players vying for the ball at the centre of the box and met Brian Mascarenhas’ swinging delivery with an accurate header that went into the top right corner.
After the break Arrows applied pressure on RKFC, drawing acrobatic saves from goalkeeper P Lachenpa. Real Kashmir soon doubled its lead when Gnohere Krizo converted a penalty in the 58th minute. Bikash Yumnam handled a goal-bound ball and also received a yellow card for his action.
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