Gokulam Kerala edge past TRAU FC in five-goal thriller

The Malabarians made it three consecutive wins from their last three games with a well-fought victory.

Gokulam Kerala FC maintained their unbeaten start to I-League 2021-22 campaign to five matches with a 3-2 win over Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU FC) at the Kalyani Stadium on Monday. An early goal from Jithin MS, followed by a Luka Majcen brace saw the Malabarians outlast TRAU FC. Fernandinho matched Luka Macjen with two goals for the Manipur-based outfit but it wasn't enough.

Defending champions Gokulam Kerala wasted no time in taking the game to their opponents, finding an early breakthrough in the 2nd minute of the contest. Jithin MS scored for the Malabarians for the third game running, as he made an undetected run into the TRAU FC box to get on the end of a cross from the left flank.

TRAU goalkeeper Amrit Gope misjudged the flight of the ball and got stranded in no man’s land, leaving Jithin the easy task of directing the ball into the empty net.

Despite trailing, TRAU FC didn’t lack any attacking intent of their own. They rallied back into the match and levelled the contest through Brazilian import Fernandinho in the eighth minute. After Kishan Singh had his snapshot saved by Rakshit Dagar, Fernandinho slid in to poach the rebound and bring TRAU back on level terms.

The parity was to last for a brief period of ten minutes only, as Gokulam Kerala’s talisman Luka Majcen put the defending champions in front once again. In the 18th minute, Majcen rose highest in the box to meet a cross from the left flank. His header back flew across goal and gave keeper Amrit Gope no chance to get even a fingertip to it.

Gokulam Kerala had a golden opportunity to extend their lead further in the 20th minute. In-form striker Majcen turned provider this time and played a lofted through ball for Thahir Zaman. Zaman did well to bring down the ball with his first touch but skied his finish well over the bar.

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The Malabarians' skipper Sharif Mohammad had a look at the goal from a free kick in the 39th minute. Although the Afghan international struck the dead ball well, his shot could only call Amrit Gope into action. An eventful first half ended with Gokulam narrowly leading the contest 2-1 at halftime.

Gokulam Kerala doubled their lead on the other side of the break in the 55th minute. After misplaying a short corner, the partially cleared ball landed at the feet of Luka Majcen. The Slovenian didn’t need a second invitation, however, as he rifled a first-time volley into the roof of the net.

With the chips down, TRAU FC restated their fighting spirit in an expedited manner in the 56th minute. Fernando set out on a mazy dribble on the edge of the Gokulam box, jinking past the defense with ease. He then cut inside with his left foot and sent a low drive into the far corner, completing his brace.

In the final half an hour, TRAU FC tried to pile the pressure on the defending champions with an equaliser. Their best chance came in the dying moments of the game as they committed more and more bodies in attack. Akobir Turaev planted a towering header at the back post from a looping cross inside a crowded Gokulam penalty area. However, his effort was matched with a fantastic save by Rakshit Dagar on the goal line.

Gokulam Kerala forward Luka Majcen was awarded the Hero of the Match award. The Slovenian's brace resulted in a victory for his side, taking the Malabarians to the top of the I-League table.

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