I-League: Gokulam Kerala suffer defeat, Real Kashmir held against Kenkre

TRAU FC upset the Malabarians by a solitary goal on Thursday.

Tiddim Road Athletic Union prevailed over Gokulam Kerala by a solitary goal at Khuman Lampak Stadium here on Thursday, March 2, 2023, climbing up to the fourth spot on the Hero I-League 2022-23 table.

The home side looked like the more enterprising team on the pitch for most parts of the match. The defending champions could hardly match the energy of the local side and their creativity in the attacking third. However, the goal took a long time to come.

It was the 59th minute of the encounter. Meitalkeishangbam Roger Khuman delivered a perfect corner from the left flank to the far post and Salam Johnson Singh headed it down to the centre of the box, where Gerson Vieira slid in to find the net.

Not just Vieira and Salam Johnson, but all the TRAU attackers and midfielders had a good outing, negating the threat of Gokulam’s Spanish forward Sergio Mendiguchia. However, the Malabarians could have taken an early lead in the 12th minute. It was Tanmoy Ghosh’s free-kick into the penalty box that saw Aminou Bouba head it powerfully, but straight onto TRAU goalkeeper Jedidi Haokip’s chest. It spilled out but Abdul Hakku could not take advantage of the ricochet, blowing it well over.

The first half ended goalless, but TRAU came out all guns blazing in after the breather. They increased the pressure after scoring in the 59th minute and but for yet another stellar show by Shibinraj Kunniyil at the Gokulam goal, the Kerala side could have lost by a bigger margin.

Hero of the Match Salam Johnson unleashed a scorching left-footer from just outside the box in the 62nd minute. It was going in, but Shibinraj threw himself into the air to tip it over the horizontal.

Even substitute Ningthoujam Pritam Singh came close to scoring in the 77th minute. He had a superb run down the middle on a counter-attack, then played a wall pass with Brazilian midfielder Fernando just outside the Gokulam box to create shooting space. But the shot was way off target.

Gokulam got a clear chance to equalise in the 85th minute, when Eldar Moldozhunusov’s cross from the left found Shijin T right at the goalmouth, but he failed to give his header the right direction.

This win took TRAU to 32 points from 20 matches in the Hero I-League, while Gokulam remained on 33, eight points behind second-placed Sreenidi Deccan FC. With 46 points in their pocket, RoundGlass Punjab are placed comfortably at the top.

Real Kashmir held to a draw by a late equaliser

Real Kashmir remained unbeaten for their sixth game in a row after playing a 1-1 draw against Mumbai Kenkre FC in the Hero I-League 2022-23 game at TRC Stadium on Thursday, March 2, 2023. The result also means that the gap between Mumbai Kenkre and NEROCA FC in the points table has been reduced by six points, enabling Mumbai Kenkre to keep alive their hopes of avoiding relegation in the Hero I-League for another day. However, with only two games remaining, the Orange Brigade will have to really work hard if they want to stay in the Hero I-League in the next season.

Real Kashmir’s captain and goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury played a crucial role in the game, making several quality saves to deny Mumbai Kenkre’s forwards before Samuel Kynshi put the home side in the lead in the second half. However, Mumbai Kenkre’s defender Banpynkhrawnam Nongkhlaw equalised in the final minutes of the game leaving the two teams share the spoils.

The hosts started the game with a different strategy, playing Jestin George, usually a defender, upfront, since neither Ibrahim Nurudeen nor Ernest Boateng figured in the starting eleven. The tactic worked in the early minutes as George was brought down just outside the penalty area, but Samuel Kynshi’s free-kick attempt went wide.

Slowly, Mumbai Kenkre started having some say in the game, and Francis Uchenna Nwankwo found Azfar Noorani on the left wing at the half-hour mark. However, Noorani failed to keep his shot on target after entering the 18-yard box. Four minutes later, Aman Gaikwad was found by Noorani with an inch-perfect cross and managed to send his header away from Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, but the Real Kashmir captain and goalkeeper quickly dived to his right to make the save.

In the second half, George returned back to his original position as Nurudeen came on for Phrangki Buam. In the 63rd minute, Roy Chowdhury made another crucial save for the hosts. Aravindraj Rajan had found  Anjan Bista on his right and the substitute took a curler off his right but it was tipped over the bar by the home custodian.

Five minutes later, Real Kashmir finally broke the deadlock.  George took a long throw in the final third and found Richard Osei Agyemang. The defender flicked his header at the far post for Kynshi, who simply tapped the ball into an open goal.

With a goal down, Kenkre surged forward for the equaliser, leaving space in the defence, which was exploited by the hosts. Girik Khosla went close with his header in the 73rd minute, while Richard Osei almost found the bottom corner in the 86th minute after he received a backheel pass from Nurudeen. In the final minute of regulation time, substitute Augustejunior Boumsomlaga’s volley was denied by another great save from Roy Chowdhury, but his citadel was finally breached in added time when Rajan found Nongkhlaw with a corner kick and the defender scored the equaliser.