Kombans succumb to Kannur Warriors in grueling Super League Kerala encounter

The Warriors register their first-ever victory against the Kombans.

Kannur Warriors emerged victorious 3-2 against the capital side, Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC, away from home, at the Chandrashekaran Nair Stadium in the final matchday of the round one fixtures of Super League Kerala’s second season.

With this win, Kannur Warriors have opened their campaign with three points, making a strong start. They bowed out in the playoffs last year, and they are determined to advance beyond the playoffs this time. This strong performance against the Kombans has set the tone for their season.

Warriors have the last laugh in a 5️⃣-goal thriller! 🔥#SuperLeagueKerala #SLK #SuperCrazy pic.twitter.com/b9cHErnw0t

— Super League Kerala (@slk_kerala) October 5, 2025

In the first half, after a string of multiple missed opportunities from both sides, Shijin P scored the opener for Kannur in the 28th minute, capitalising on a defensive error from the hosts to silence the crowd and provide the Warriors with an advantage. Later, though Thiruvananthapuram played with all their might to find the equaliser, the Kannur keeper, Ubaid, was worth every penny and denied all their attempts.

The second half saw the Kombans bring the score back to level terms after Autemar easily converted a penalty in the 50th minute. This was, however, short-lived as Kannur once again got the lead in the 74th minute following an own goal that arose out of a poor clearance from Filipe Alves.

In the 91st minute, Abdou Karim scored yet again for the Warriors to make the score 3-1. In the dying minutes of the game, Vignesh scored a compensatory goal for his side, following a stunning free kick, but this goal was still not enough to overturn the lead of the Warriors, and at full time, the score was 2-3 in favour of the visitors in this thrilling Super League Kerala encounter.

Shijin breaks the deadlock for the visitors

The first half began aggressively, with both teams pressing high and trying to win back possession from the opponents whenever they had control over the ball. The initial minutes were characterised by a plethora of missed goal-scoring opportunities from both the Kombans and the Warriors.

The first real chance of the game came in the 7th minute, when Ronald won the ball in the final third and attempted a solid shot on target. Fortunately for the Warriors, Ubaid was alert and prevented the hosts from scoring.

Later, in the 14th minute, Kannur came close to scoring as Abdou Karim came in a 1v1 situation with the keeper following a defensive error from Salam Ranjan. But this time, Aryan came forward and closed down the angle to keep the score line intact.

As the game progressed, both teams attempted their luck at the goal, but almost every time, the defenders and the keeper were able to somehow keep the opponents at bay from finding the back of the net.

In the 28th minute, Asier Gomes took a corner kick towards the first post, which was flicked towards the middle of the goal towards unmarked Shijin, who just had to tap in the ball to breach the net and provide Kannur the advantage.

Later, though Thiruvananthapuram Kombans desperately tried to find the equaliser ahead of the break, Ubaid, the last line of defence, stood like a rock and denied all the attacks made by the hosts, and at the break, it was Kannur who were leading 1-0.

Also Read: Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC vs Kannur Warriors highlights: Super League Kerala 2025 replay

Resilient Warriors silence the hosts

In the second half, Thiruvananthapuram continued their aggressive approach, and this finally paid off in the 50th minute as one such Komban attack forced Vikas to commit a foul inside the 18-yard box, giving the hosts a much-needed penalty, which was comfortably converted by Autemar, who fired in a powerful shot to the roof of the goal to bring the score back on level terms.

This, however, did not stop Kannur from crafting their attacking initiatives, and they continued their strategy of attacking from the flanks. In the 74th minute, the substitute, Muhammed Sinan, made an accelerated run on the right wing and provided a cross inside the 6-yard box, which was unfortunately mis-cleared by Filipe Alves, leading to an own goal, providing Kannur the much-needed advantage.

In the additional time of the game, Sinan once again provided a cross targeting Abdou Karim, who flicked in the ball towards the net to double the advantage for his side. However, just as it felt like the game was put to bed, Vignesh scored a stunning free-kick goal to mark the second goal for the home team.

However, this goal was not enough for the Kombans to overturn the Kannur lead, and at full-time, Kannur Warriors clinched their first-ever victory against the Kombans, beating them 3-2 away from home.

Next Challenge in Super League Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram Kombans will next face Forca Kochi on Friday, the 10th of October, at home, and Kannur will lock horns with Malappuram FC at the Payyanad Stadium, Manjeri. Fans can watch the Super League Kerala on the Sony Sports Network, and it will also be streamed on the sports.com website.

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