Kannur Warriors, which was trailing for the better part of the match, bounced back in style to beat Thrissur Magic 2-1 to open its Super League Kerala campaign with a win at the Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium on Monday.
The Magicians took the lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half and some sloppy defending from the Warriors lent a helping hand to the Thrissur-based side. C.K. Vineeth deftly passed the ball, from just outside the box, to Abhijit, who put it firmly past goalkeeper P.A. Ajmal.
The Warriors’s relentless quest for an equaliser finally bore fruit in the second half. Off a fine throw-in into the box by Vikas, David Grande scored with a firm drive into the top corner off a deflection.
Continued pressure forced Thrissur to concede as Alvaro Alvarez headed in the corner kick by Pragyan Gogoi deep into the injury time.
Earlier, actor-director Basil Joseph was named as the brand ambassador of Calicut FC, which begins its campaign with a match against Thiruvananthapuram Kombans at Kozhikode on Tuesday.
The result:
- P.K. Ajith Kumar
Febin’s goal helps Kottayam triumph in Inter-district championship
Febin Nasim, a 21-year-old who hails from Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, scored the winner as host Kottayam defeated Thiruvananthapuram 1-0 to clinch the 60th Kerala State senior inter-district football title at the St. Thomas College ground in Pala on Monday.
Kottayam relied mainly on players from the football-crazy North Kerala to succeed.
“Our players are mainly from Malappuram and Kozhikode and they are studying at St. Berchmans College (Changanassery) or Baselius College (Kottayam). In fact, we had just four from Kottayam,” the winning team’s coach Saril Thomas told Sportstar.
“We had beaten two Super League Kerala teams, Kochi and Thrissur, in friendlies in Ernakulam while preparing for this championship. That made me confident here,” Saril added.
Kottayam, which jolted defending champion Thrissur in the semifinal, came up with attacking football while Thiruvananthapuram was forced to play catch-up for a good part of the match.
Team Kottayam poses after beating Thiruvananthapuram in the final of 60th Kerala State senior inter-district tournament. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The trophy-winner came after a series of smart moves 10 minutes into the second half. The hard-working forward V.S. Faris Ali advanced into the box through the left. Just when the defence felt that he would attempt a shot, he sent a quick cross to Febin on the right, who finished it with a header.
“That was my only goal of this championship, from four matches,” said Febin, who plies his trade in the midfield.
Kottayam, which had an extra day’s rest after its semifinal, looked fresher than Thiruvananthapuram which had played Malappuram in Sunday’s semifinal.
The host’s backline did a good job, cutting out the space for the Thiruvananthapuram forwards. Jijo Jaison, who later waked away with the championship’s ‘Best Forward’ award, was forced to try sighters from distance a few times.
With rain turning the championship’s main venue, the Municipal Stadium, into a slushy hell, the final was shifted to the St. Thomas College ground. That was only a shade better as heavy rain midway through the second half exposed the lack of proper drainage at the ground as players struggled through the puddles that had quickly formed.
The results:
Special awards:
- Stan Rayan
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