I-League 2024-25: Gokulam Kerala FC remain in title mix with
I-League 2024-25: Gokulam Kerala FC remain in title mix with win over nine-man Namdhari FC
Gokulam Kerala FC remained in the hunt for the 2024-25 I-League title as they sealed a dramatic 3-1 victory over nine-man Namdhari FC at the Namdhari Stadium
LUDHIANA — Gokulam Kerala FC remained in
the hunt for the 2024-25 I-League title as they sealed a dramatic 3-1 victory
over nine-man Namdhari FC at the Namdhari Stadium on Monday.
Thabiso
Brown (57’), Adama Niane (81’), and Ignacio Abeledo (90+2’) were the scorers
for the visitors, while Manvir Singh (63’) netted Namdhari’s only goal, with
all the strikes erupting in a fiercely contested second half.
Gokulam
Kerala hold the fourth place in the I-League standings with 31 points from 19
matches and are just three points behind league leaders Churchill Brothers, who
have a game in hand. Gokulam Kerala’s resolve will surely be tested in their
remaining three fixtures as they chase the championship. The Malabarians have
now won three on the trot away from home.
For
Namdhari FC, the match was a bitter pill to swallow even as their title hopes
diminished significantly. The home side were reduced to 10 men in the 27th
minute after defender Sukhandeep Singh received his marching orders for a
second bookable offence, drastically changing the game’s dynamics. This
disadvantage was compounded later when Cledson Carvalho Dasilva was sent off
for dissent in the 60th minute, leaving Namdhari with nine men.
Despite
the dismissals, Gokulam Kerala initially struggled to capitalise. The first
half remained goalless, thanks to several outstanding saves from Namdhari’s
young goalkeeper Nishan Singh, who denied Abhijith K, Martin Chaves, and Sergio
Llamas Pardo.
The
breakthrough for Gokulam Kerala came in the 57th minute when Abeledo delivered
a cross that was misjudged by Namdhari’s Gursimrat Singh. The ball fell
perfectly for Brown, who headed it into the net, giving Gokulam Kerala the
lead.
However,
Namdhari showed resilience, and despite being two men down, they equalised six
minutes later through Manvir Singh, who met Bhupinder Singh’s free-kick with a
precise header.
The
match appeared poised for an unlikely draw, but Gokulam Kerala’s numerical
advantage finally told. In the 81st minute, Llamas spotted Niane’s run and
delivered a long pass over the defence, with Niane making no mistake to restore
Gokulam’s lead. As the match drew to a close, Abeledo cemented the win with a
powerful left-footed strike in stoppage time, ensuring Gokulam Kerala left with
all three points.
