S Rajesh scored in the 60th minute to help Gokulam Kerala beat defending champions Minerva Punjab FC by a solitary goal in the I-League football in Calicut on Sunday.
The win – Gokulam’s second of the campaign – takes them to eight points from five games, five behind table toppers Chennai City and two clear of third-placed East Bengal. Minerva on the other hand, move down to the eighth position with four points from four games.
Bino George, the Gokulam coach fielded an unchanged starting eleven while Minerva’s Irish manager Paul Munster gave youngster Laltunmang Haokip a start in place of Moinuddin.
U-22 player Haokip though played for only first 30 minutes was replaced by Akash Sangwan. With four forwards listed on the score sheet, Bino’s intentions were clear although Minerva’s Bala Dahir had the first shot at goal as early as the third minute.
The hosts were quick to respond with a couple of quick attacks but all in all it was a half which lacked creativity in the attacking third throughout. There was also a 21-minute break because of a malfunctioning floodlight.
The best chance of the first half came to Minerva’s Nigerian winger Donatus Edafe in the 44th minute when a wonderful cross from Souvik Das from the right flank found him with a free-header but he missed the mark.
The second half was as insipid as the first and it was the visitors who showed more intent finding a goal and were dominating the attacking play. Quietly against the run of play, the home side took the lead in the 60th minute through Rajesh.
It was Suhair who started the move, playing on Gani Nigam inside the box on the right. The youngster surged ahead and floated in a cross which beat Bhaskar Roy in the Minerva goal on the near post and Rajesh was there to meet it with a compact header.
The goal brought some life back into the game and both the coaches also started making their moves. Gani was taken off two minutes later and Pritam Singh was brought in by George.
Minerva did try desperately for an equaliser towards the end. Kouassi’s powerful shot in the 86th minute was kept out of danger by Shibinraj in the Gokulam goal and Arashpreet’s effort from a William Opoku corner also missed the target.
Gokulam also had some gilt-edged opportunities to increase their lead as Antonio German and Abhishek Das were guilty of glaring misses.
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