Kashmir beat Gokulam to go top
SRINAGAR:THE fairytale run of Real Kashmir FC continued as the club from the Valley defeated Gokulam Kerala FC by a solitary goal to go to the top of I-league on Wednesday.
The match between the Snow Leopards and Gokulam was played at the TRC Ground in chilling weather conditions amid a mix of rain and snowfall with none of the teams willing to yield the ground.
Ivorian striker Gnohere Krizo scored the all-important goal in the 51st minute to hand Real Kashmir three points.
The win propelled the Jammu and Kashmir side to the top of the table with 32 points, dislodging Chennai City FC (30 points) who have two games in hand.
Chennai City will take on Indian Arrows on Friday while Real Kashmir will meet East Bengal at home on Sunday.
It started snowing before the match and heavy rains lashed the ground later on. The two sides played a goalless first half as controlling the ball became difficult for the players of both the teams due to waterlogging in many patches of the Synthetic Astro Turf pitch.
Real Kashmir should have taken the lead in the first half but
Krizo missed several easy chances to put his side ahead.
Mason Robertson, son of head coach David, who was playing behind Krizo, also missed a couple of chances. However, it was Krizo who broke the deadlock after the break, pouncing on a rebound in front of the Gokulam goal in the 51st minute. This was the ninth clean sheet for Real Kashmir, having conceded only eight goals so far.