Kozhikode, Kerala: Gokulam Kerala FC, winless in 12 games and over three and a half months, carved out an odd goal in the victory over Manipuri side Neroca FC at the EMS Corporation stadium in Kozhikode on Sunday.

Second half goals from Ghanaian Daniel Addo and Trinidadian Marcus Joseph secured three points for the home side after Nigerian Felix Chidi had scored his seventh of the 12th Hero I-League, to give Neroca a lead in the first half.

The win takes the Gokulam side to the ninth place on the points table. They are just above Minerva Punjab FC, thanks to a better head-to-head record.

More importantly, this steers them clear of the relegation zone, as bottom-placed Shillong Lajong can now only equal the Kozhikode-based side if they win their last two games. However, Gokulam have a better head-to-head record with Lajong, and thus cannot mathematically finish in the drop zone.

Neroca coach Manuel Fraile made as many as four changes to his starting XI before the game, while his Gokulam counterpart Gift Raikhan made two from their previous defeat against Aizawl.

The game began at a slow pace. Daniel Addo had a toe-poke in the 11th minute and then there was an effort by Chidi for Neroca at the quarter of an hour mark which ballooned over.

Then Eduardo could not connect for Neroca effectively with his header, off a free-kick in the 17th minute. Gokulam’s Nigerian forward Emmanuel was then put through by Arjun Jayaraj, but Naocha Singh in the Neroca defence made a timely interception to thwart him.

Neroca were using the right wing very effectively and the goal eventually came from there when Malem latched on to a ball on the channel and made a run towards the box. Looking up, he spotted a run from Japanese winger Katsumi Yusa inside the box and delivered a perfect cross.

The Japanese failed to connect but Felix Chidi stabbed home for an easy finish. It was the Nigerian’s seventh goal of the campaign.

From that point on, Gokulam were stirred into action with Marcus Joseph being the catalyst.

He first attempted a snapshot on target in the 28th minute but it brought about a good save from Lalit Thapa in the Neroca goal.

Another one from Marcus two minutes later was even better and more powerful, bringing about an even better reaction save from Thapa. He then lined up a third shot in the 33rd, a powerful strike this time from outside the box, but Thapa was up to it again.

The Trinidadian pro-league top scorer then got at the end of a decent cross from the right from Irshad, but his free-header from inside the box lacked direction. In the 38th minute, Deepak put in a good cross on the overlap for Emmanuel to just connect and get the direction right, but he faltered on the latter part from close to goal.

Gokulam did get the equaliser, not in the first half, but as soon as the second begun. Marcus passed seemingly harmlessly to Daniel Addo in the centre of midfield well inside the Neroca half. The former U-20 FIFA World Cup winning Ghanaian, trapped, took a touch forward and then looking up to spot the opportunity, unleashed a well-placed powerful right-footed strike to beat Thapa all ends up.

Bhutanese winger Chencho had a chance to get Neroca back ahead a few minutes later after Malem had set him up inside the box but Arnab Das Sharma in the Gokulam goal came up with a save this time.

A minute later, Emmanuel rounded keeper Thapa but missed the target from inside the box wide on the left. He failed to connect again a minute later after an Arjun Jayaraj cross found him. Thapa was equal to it again.

Gokulam were not to be denied their first win in an incredible 13 games and in close to four months though, as in the 82nd minute, Daneil Addo with the assist this time, found Marcus with a lovely ball from his own half.

The Trinidadian broke away, and with the ball on his favourite left-foot in a one-on-one with Thapa, placed it in the Neroca net over the keeper’s left shoulder. Yet another clinical finish and his sixth goal in his eighth Hero I-League game.

(I-League Media)

Panchkula: The battle for the 12th Hero I-League title winner just got interesting as Minerva Punjab FC suffered a 0-1 loss against Kolkata Giants Quess East Bengal at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium at Panchkula on Sunday.

With this win, Quess East Bengal are just a point shy of table toppers Chennai City FC, who along with the Red and Golds, would play their last league game on March 9, 2019. Enrique Esqueda scored the winning goal for Quess East Bengal in the 75th minute.

While Quess East Bengal now travel to Kozhikhode to play Gokulam Kerala FC on the ninth, Chennai City FC will host defending champions Minerva Punjab for their game on the same day. Both these games are slated for a 5 pm kick-off.

Arashpreet Singh found his way back in goal, while Sreyas VG and Moinuddin Khan found themselves in the playing XI in place of Makan Chothe and Prabhjot Singh respectively. Quess East Bengal, on the other hand, made two changes in the form of Salam Ranjan Singh and Toni Dovale, who found their way back in the starting XI in place of a suspended Borja Gomez and Brandon Vanlalremdika, respectively.

The defending champions started the game on a pressing note and enjoyed a good spell of possession in the first few minutes, but Quess East Bengal did not allow the hosts an inch in midfield. The game was mostly played in the middle of the park in the first quarter.

Quess East Bengal, with their urgency for a win, did try pressing high but full marks to the organised defence of Minerva, who ensured that the visitors do not get an opportunity to draw first blood. The Warriors, on the contrary, started pressing high in phases, but could not create any threatening moments.

Esqueda, Santos and Ralte combined well to come close to scoring twice, but some great keeping by Arshdeep and the woodwork played a critical role in ensuring that the first 45 minutes of the game remained goalless.

The second half began with Quess East Bengal taking the initiative to go into the lead, but they couldn’t breach the Minerva defence on most occasions. Minerva, on the other hand, kept attacking in short bursts through the combination of Juan Quero and Sreyas VG, but failed to find an opportunity to take the lead.

QEB, however, came really close to scoring on a couple of occasions but some exceptional goalkeeping by Minerva’s Arashdeep ensured that the visitors did not get the elusive goal. Minerva, who were playing a very organised game, somehow gave way to the visitors, when a wrong clearance saw Enrique Esqueda made no mistake in grabbing the opportunity and find the back of the net in the 75th minute.

The game, thereafter, saw both the teams playing on an attacking note, with the former champions aiming for an equaliser, while Quess East Bengal hoped for an insurance goal. The game finally came to an end with Minerva Punjab FC losing 0-1 to Quess East Bengal.

(I-League Media)

Vasco, Goa: Churchill Brothers FC Goa dampened Chennai City’s plan of securing their maiden Hero I-League title with a dramatic 3-2 win over the table toppers at the Tilak Maidan in Goa today (March 1, 2019).

Current Hero I-League table toppers Chennai City drew the first blood in the 29th minute through Sandro R before Willis Plaza (38′) restored parity for the hosts. The Red Machines took the lead through Christ Remi (50′) once again but it was Pedro Manzi (69′) who did no mistake to convert from the penalty spot. Their efforts went to waste as Hero of the Match Willis Plaza completed his brace (71′) to help his team secure a victory tonight.

With this win, Churchill Brothers FC Goa elevate to third with 34 points while Chennai City FC continue to lead the table with 40 points, 4 points ahead of second-placed Quess East Bengal.

Chennai City FC, with the urgency to clinch their maiden Hero I-League title with a win against hosts Churchill Brothers FC Goa, started on a safe note today. Unlike their normal attacking style, it seemed like they were trying to soak in the pressure as Churchill Brothers went pressing hard right from the start.

Willis Plaza, Khalid Aucho and Nicholas Fernandes were combining well to breach the Chennai City FC defence time and again but somehow couldn’t find a way to finish their attempts. A foul by Wayne Vaz on Nestor Gordillo earned the visitors a free kick at the top of the box.

Spanish midfielder Sandro’s free-kick, after a deflection from Plaza, gave Chennai the lead in the 29th minute. Churchill Brothers FC Goa, thereafter, went on attacking in regular intervals through the combination of Nicholas Fernandes and Khalid Aucho to feed Plaza time and again.

Their efforts soon yielded a result when Willis Plaza successfully tapped it in from an inch-perfect cross by Nicholas Fernandes in the 38th minute.

The first half ended with the scoreboard locked at 1-1.

The second half began with Chennai pressing hard for the lead but it was again Churchill Brothers FC Goa who turned around the game on its head. Following a clever interception, Churchill took the lead soon through Christ Remi taking the scoreline to 2-1 to the hosts’ favour.

Churchill Brothers FC Goa thereafter never really stopped trying hard to score their insurance goal but timely interceptions from Chennai City FC ensured the visitors aren’t faced with more difficult situations. Chennai City FC, who played a lot around the midfield today, tried a lot from the counter-attacks.

Owing to a handball by Wayne Vaz inside the penalty box, Chennai City FC were awarded a penalty. Pedro Manzi made no mistake to restore the parity for Chennai City FC in the 69th minute. Churchill cut their joy short having scored the eventual winner within two minutes.

Thereafter, the game was mostly about Churchill Brothers FC Goa attacking in bits but missing targets while Chennai City FC failed to breach the sturdy Churchill defence till the end to confirm a win for the Goan outfit in their final home game.

(I-League Media)

Kolkata, West Bengal: Indian Arrows trumped former champions and hosts Mohun Bagan 3-1 in a 12th Hero I-League clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata to conclude their second season in the top-flight league with six wins, in what has been a stellar display of football by All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s Developmental side.

During the course of the campaign, Indian Arrows have beaten defending champions Minerva Punjab FC, Shillong Lajong (twice), Gokulam Kerala, and former champions Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan.

Both coaches Khalid Jamil and Floyd Pinto went for wholesale changes at the start of the game, making seven and six respectively, in a fixture essentially between two sides assured of a mid-table finish.

The first half did not see the game reach great heights but the young Arrows certainly looked the more enterprising, creating several openings to score.

The home team, though, took the lead in the 17th minute through Azharuddin Mallick after a move initiated by Sony Norde, saw the Haitian winger play off Henry Kisseka, run in and cross from the left of the Arrows box. Kisseka missed the first bit, but the talented Under-22 youngster was at hand to slot it home.

The Arrows hit back in the 28th minute when an Anwar Ali free-kick was fumbled by keeper Ricardo Cardozo, before Abhijeet Sarkar struck off the rebound.

As the players came on for the second half, Mohun Bagan coach Khalid Jamil brought on Cameroonian striker Dipanda Dicka, expressing clear intentions. He also replaced goal-scorer Mallick with Egyptian playmaker Omar Elhussieny.

However, Floyd Pinto’s team was not to be bogged down and after initial Bagan forays, it was the Indian Arrows who went ahead in the 74th minute after a brilliantly-crafted move, executed with pace.

Substitute Neenthoi, who had come in barely two minutes earlier, played the pass from midfield finding Boris in space on the right. The right-wing back made a purposeful run into the box, looked up and found an onrushing Rahul KP with the cutback. Rahul made no mistake with a calm and composed finish.

The young guns secured the three points in injury time. In a seemingly harmless defensive position, keeper Cordozo, who had a forgetful day, came out of his area to clear the ball with his head straight onto a waiting Rohit Danu, who slotted from distance into an empty goal.

Both Bagan and Arrows remain in sixth and seventh positions, respectively, with the gap between the two now narrowed to five points.

(I-League Media)

New Delhi: East Bengal defeated debutants Real Kashmir 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, on Thursday, as they kept their hopes of winning their maiden Hero I-League title alive.

Enrique Esqueda was adjudged the Hero of the Match, after he put the Red and Golds ahead early in the first half, before setting up his Spanish teammate Jamie Santos Colado for the second, as the Kolkata Giants ran away with a win.

This result takes QEB to 36 points from 18 games, just four behind league leaders Chennai City FC, who have played the same number of matches. As it currently stands, East Bengal need to win their remaining two matches and hope that Chennai do not pick up more than a point from their last two games.

For Chennai, however, the equation is simple. A point each from their last two games would see them lift the title at the end of the season by virtue of a better head-to-head record against the side from Kolkata.

The Red and Golds got off to a swift start, keeping large bouts of possession in the opening exchanges. Their efforts paid dividends in the 20th minute itself, when Danmawia curled in a cross at the Kashmir far post from a Lalram Chullova through ball, for Mexican forward Enrique Esqueda to nod home.

Real Kashmir could not find their footing in the game at this stage and resorted to route-one football hoping that their Scottish forward Mason Robertson would hold up the ball and distribute it to the rest.

However, they soon received a massive blow to their endeavours, when Kofi Tetteh was sent off for dissent after he was already shown a yellow card for a foul on QEB defender Johnny Acosta.

That gave QEB the momentum for the rest of the half, and they managed to double their lead minutes before the referee blew his whistle for the half-time breather.

QEB’s Spanish playmaker Jamie Santos Colado played Esqueda through inside the Kashmir area before the latter crossed it back to the Spaniard, who volleyed it home with great aplomb.

Despite being down to 10 men, Kashmir came out with a lot of initiative in the second half. However, it was East Bengal, who had the clearer chance on the hour mark, when Danmawia made a decoy run off a Colado ball, to find himself one-on-one with Real Kashmir keeper Bilal Khan. However, the Danmawia’s shot was parried away by the custodian.

Minutes later, the Snow Leopards got the perfect chance to get back in the game when QEB goalkeeper Rakshit Daggar brought Bazzie Armand down inside his own area. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot, and Aaron Katebe made no mistake as he slotted it home from the spot.

Real Kashmir gaffer David Robertson brought on striker Gnohere Krizo in the last 10 minutes, hoping to draw level with a two-pronged attack. However, QEB managed to hold on to their slender lead, bringing the Snow Leopards’ Hero I-League title hopes to an end.

(I-League Media)

Kozhikode, Kerala: The 99th game of the ongoing Hero I-League season today saw Aizawl FC come from behind and walk away winning against hosts Gokulam Kerala FC 1-3. Gokulam Kerala FC drew first blood through Marcus Joseph in the 9th minute before Aizawl restored parity in the 83rd minute through Paul Ramfanzauva who was also adjudged the eventual Hero of the Match.

The Highlanders struck in quick succession twice through Mawpuia in the 88th minute and Kromah in the added time (90’ + 6’) to seal the game in their favour.

In the must-win game for both the teams, the home side took to the attacks right from the start. Gokulam Kerala FC pressed hard with Marcus Joseph and Suhair VP in combination and looked threatening from the start.

Gokulam Kerala FC who were finding their way into the Aizawl FC box in regular intervals couldn’t find a way to convert the chances that came their way. However, Aizawl FC did try hard to create a few chances through Kromah and Dodoz but couldn’t really breach past the Gokulam defence line.

Gokulam’s attacking game soon yielded a result when a scintillating free-kick from Marcus Joseph in the 9th minute found its way straight into the goal giving the home team a much-deserved lead early into the game.

Aizawl came back again in their second attempt to score but some amazing goalkeeping from Gokulam Kerala FC’s Shibin Raj ensured that the visitors do not find their way for an equalizer. The first half came to an end with Gokulam Kerala FC leading 1-0 against Aizawl FC.

The second half began with Gokulam Kerala FC again leading the proceedings. Their attempts to consolidate their lead couldn’t actualize thanks to an alert Aizawl Defence. Aizawl FC who were trying hard for an equaliser were unlucky on two occasions when they hit the crossbar.

Aizawl’s efforts finally paid off when a blunder by Shibin Raj was capitalized by Lalkhawpuimawia who deflected the ball to Paul Ramfanzauva who made no mistake in finding the back of the net in the 83rdminute.

The Reds suddenly changed gears after that and took the lead in the 88thminute when a through ball from Kromah was collected by Mawpuia who made no mistake thereafter scoring the second goal for Aizawl FC.

Goakulam who were rattled by now tried coming back to the attack aiming to score another but an alert defence line from Aizawl ensured that the hosts do not find their way to the back of the net. Kromah nailed the final one in Gokulam’s coffin in the final moments of the added time to ensure they leave Kozhikode with all three points.

(I-League Media)