Milagres puts Kerala fifth
JUST ENOUGH Salgaoncar striker’s goal leaves Goa bottom of the standings
KOCHI: Kerala Blasters edged past FC Goa 1-0 to register their second win in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here on Thursday.
After a goalless first half, Salgaoncar striker Milagres Gonsalves made it count for Kerala with a left footer that found the net in the 64th minute.
Coming in as the substitute in place of Chinadorai Sabeeth in the 56th minute, Milagres soon combined with another substitute Andrew Nikolas Barisic to give Kerala the winning goal.
In a move that brought the 47,000 capacity crowd to its feet, Penn Orji slid the ball from the far corner wide for Barisic inside the box, who drilled it across the face of the goal for Milagres at the far post.
Former French international Robert Pires, who was the solitary change for Goa, was also unable to contribute and was finally substituted in the 72nd minute for Tolgay Ozbey. The win allowed Kerala to climb two spots to fifth in the league table while Zico’s Goa remained at the bottom of the standings.
COMING IN AS THE SUBSTITUTE IN PLACE OF CHINADORAI SABEETH IN THE 56TH MINUTE, MILAGRES SOON COMBINED WITH ANOTHER SUBSTITUTE ANDREW NIKOLAS BARISIC TO GIVE KERALA THE WINNING GOAL