Malappuram FC play out fiercely contested 3-3 draw against Calicut FC in Malabar Derby in Super League Kerala

Malappuram FC sit at the second spot in the Super League Kerala Table.

The Malabar Derby, which the fans proudly consider as the ‘El Clásico’ of Super League Kerala, lived up to its expectations as Malappuram FC and Calicut FC played an enthralling three-all-draw at the Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri, under a steady downpour in the round three fixtures of the Super League Kerala.

Calicut opened the accounts with the early goal from Ajsal in the sixth minute, which kept the visitors in the driver’s seat of the match for the vast majority of the first half. However, in the final touch ahead of the break, Malappuram scored the equaliser with their captain Altor to bring the scores back to level terms.

A great comeback in Payyanad 💥 pic.twitter.com/USSieWRSwU

— Malappuram FC (@malappuram_fc) October 19, 2025

In the second half, it was goal galore at Manjeri despite unfavourable conditions on the pitch as Calicut registered two goals under their name off Prashant and Ajsal.

Despite this pressure and conditions, Malappuram pushed hard and gave their all, which saw them score two quick goals in the 85th and 89th minutes with the boots of Nithin Madhu and John Kennedy, respectively, to put the Super League Kerala game to a 3-3 end.

A Fiery First-Half

Calicut got the ball rolling, and right from the first whistle, they pressed high and made consistent attacks, which helped the team win set-pieces in the initial minutes of the match. This immediately paid dividends for the visitors as they broke the deadlock at Ajsal just in the sixth minute.

Boasso delivered a teasing corner into the Malappuram 6-yard box, which the keeper poorly punched away into the penalty box, and after a moment of agitation and confusion, Manoj cheekily flicked the ball to Ajsal, who took a powerful shot onto the roof of the goal to put Calicut’s foot in the front.

Despite multiple attempts to attack, though both sides came really close to scoring on almost half a dozen occasions, somewhere down the line, it felt like the scoring boots of the players disappeared as they were unable to execute the finishing in the final third.

Just as the first half was put to bed, Malappuram made one final attempt to draw the level and managed to win a corner in the dying minutes of the first half. Facundo beautifully whipped in the corner to the near post, where the captain, Aitor, made a clever run to seamlessly flick in the ball to bring the scores back to level terms.

Drama in the Second Half

Calicut came out with vigour and found the back of the net off their captain, Prashant, who excellently headed in a measured cross from Salim from the left, to yet again silence the home crowd and provide his side with the advantage. As the game progressed, the steady downpour made things difficult for both sides as they struggled to keep control over the ball and kept slipping on their footwear all over the ground.

Malappuram adapted much quickly to the conditions and slowly crafted their attacks with the services of the substitute John Kennedy and Roy Krishna. However, to the dismay of the hosts, Richard Osei Agyemang stood as an impenetrable barrier to prevent them from scoring. Misfortunes continued for the hosts as John Kennedy missed a 1v1 with the keeper, and Gani, shockingly, missed an open net.

In the 71st minute, despite the unfavourable conditions, Ajsal wriggled his way past Hakku and Aitor to score yet again and double the advantage for the defending champions and put the Payyanad Stadium to pin drop silence.

In the 85th minute, rain played a part for the home side as it blinded the keeper during a long-range shot from Nithin Madhu, which found the back of the net to provide the hosts a glimmer of hope. Just four minutes later, Roy Krishna was fouled inside the 18-yard box, providing Malappuram with a penalty and a golden opportunity to score.

Roy Krishna took a bottom corner shot, which, though it was saved by the keeper, did not deflect far away due to the wet outfield, providing Kennedy an open net to find the equaliser for the hosts and at full time, both Malappuram and Calicut shared the spoils of the game.

Round 4 fixtures for Malappuram FC and Calicut FC in the Super League Kerala

Malappuram will play the Thiruvananthapuram Kombans on the 28th of October at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, and Calicut will face the in-form Kannur Warriors FC at the EMS Corporation Stadium on the 28th of October. Fans all across can watch the match from 7:30 pm on the Sony Sports Network and the Sports.com website.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.