Defending champions Gokulam Kerala’s first game of the 130th Durand Cup ended in a 2-2 draw against the Army Red football team. The Malabarians got off to a positive start, courtesy a brilliant goal from long distance by Ghana’s Rahim Osumanu, but failed to capitalize on it in the later stages.
It was a windy day in Kalyani and both the teams got off to a good start. Gokulam took the lead in the ninth minute with Rahim’s goal.
However, a major turning point came when Gokulam Kerala FC goalkeeper Rakshit Dagar collided with Army Red’s Mukesh Kumar. It was ugly and Ajmal PA had to replace Rakshit.
The pace of the game changed after that as Jan P quickly scored to equalize for the regimental side.
Minutes before half time, Bikash Thapa scored the second goal for the Army raid and had the most important lead to go into the second half.
Gokulam played an aggressive game in the second half and even got a fine scoring opportunity when their captain Sharif M Mohammed’s shot missed the target by a small margin and went over the crossbar at the nets. However, he later made up for it through penalty.
The Malabarians had several close chances in the final quarter but failed to convert any and would surely have a more disappointing side. His next game is against Hyderabad FC who are in red hot form.
Army Red football team is still leading in Group D with 4 points.
Red’s P Christopher Comey was adjudged man of the match. He expressed his feelings after the match saying, “They are the defending champions and even our coach told us that it will be a tough match but still, we put up a good fight. We played defensively in the beginning. Had a strategy to play and then slowly gained confidence. They are an I-League team and are strong on the tactical side but still we played well.
He also said, “We still have 4 points and we are not losing it. We have time to recover and give our best for the next match.”
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