KOLKATA (India): Gokulam Kerala FC got back to winning ways in I-League by defeating Neroca FC 4-1 at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Monday.
They took their tally table to six points.
Jiteshwor Singh own goal and strikes by Philip Adjah, Jestin Geroge, and Mohammad Sharif penalty were enough to hand the Malabarians three points and put them in the top half table.
Neroca pulled one goal back through Songpu Singsit in the dying embers of the match.
It seemed like Gokulam Kerala FC were out to prove a point after defeat in their last fixture to Aizawl FC and the Malabarians made a strong statement by hammering three quick goals past high-flying Neroca in the first half. In the 13th minute, forward Emil Benny could have opened the scoring for Gokulam but his shot went wide.
Two minutes later, Benny’s shot from close range was saved by the opposition custodian and the ball fell inches away from Philip Adjah, before going out for a corner. Had Adjah been closer, it would have been a simple tap-in for the forward.
Constant badgering of their opposition’s defence was meant to open up a chance sooner or later. Little did the Malabarians know that it would be through an own goal in the 23rd minute. A well-worked corner routine saw a whipped cross from the left flank and in an attempt to clear the ball, Neroca’s Jiteshwor Singh headed it into his own net.
The opening goal spurred Gokulam Kerala FC and in the 31st minute, Dennis Antwi found Philip Adjah in the box and the Ghanian smashed the ball into the back of the net from close range to double Gokulam’s lead. A third goal soon came in the 39th minute when Jestin George chested a Deepak Devrani free-kick into the net after a deflection.
With Gokulam Kerala FC dominating possession and creating chances at will, it was all the Malabarians in the first half. Neroca had a slight sniff of the goal seconds before half-time but failed to find the target. The half-time scoreline read 3-0 in Gokulam’s favour. (Source: AIFF)
