Gokulam keep nerve, make I-league history
KOLKATA: After putting three past Ukraine, Gennaro Gattuso was asked how Italy would deal with playing the 2006 World Cup semi-final against hosts Germany. Looking straight at the questioner, Gattuso had said it wouldn’t matter whether they were playing at Dortmund or anywhere else. Italy walked Gattuso’s talk by taking charge of the semi-final at Westfalenstadion.
Gokulam Kerala FC (GKFC) too showed it didn’t matter that the Salt Lake stadium was an intimidating cauldron on Saturday. They needed a draw to keep the I-league, the first time any team had ever done that. The occasion warranted IM Vijayan in a GKFC maroon and Binoo George, Kerala’s Santosh Trophy winning coach, fetching up. In search of a first I-league, Mohammedan Sporting too had got former India captain and star striker Shabbir Ali over. In the end it was GKFC who made history with a 2-1 win.
After a quiet first half, Luka Majcen produced two assists which were put away by Rishad and Emil Benny on either side of an Azharuddin Mallick strike. GKFC’S bid to draw Mohammedan Sporting in and hit on the break almost worked when goalkeeper Zothanmawia was in no man’s land after a high ball found Jourdain Fletcher. You could hear the sound of silence as 47,136 held their breath but from nearly 30 yards out, the Jamaican frontman couldn’t keep his lob on target. “Bad judgment from the goalkeeper almost killed the game,” said India head coach Igor Stimac in a television interview at half-time.
GKFC thought they had done that in the 49th minute when Majcen found Rishad as Mohammedan Sporting began the second half like they ended the first, by pushing up. In space as Mohammedan Sporting left back Manoj Mohammad had moved up, Rishad finished with a cool placement. Mohammedan Sporting made a double substitution in the 54th minute and one of them, Azharuddin Mallick, equalised in the 56th when a Marcus Joseph free-kick completely changed direction after banging into him. GKFC appealed for handball, Joseph looked calm, the stadium shook.
Things can change in a minute in football, Mohammedan
Sporting coach Andrey Chernyshov had said. So it did when Majcen again found in space Emil Benny, who had played such an important role in GKFC’S maiden title triumph. Similar assist, similar goal.
Nikola Stojanovic exhorted the crowd to get behind the home team and they had responded with a roar.
Benny’s goal meant the home team had to score two more. Substitute Phrangki Buam shinning a Mallick hook back, Joseph being unable to direct a Faisal Ali cross and Buam’s shot deflecting off a GKFC player were the closest they came to doing that.
GKFC had lost on Tuesday for the first time in 22 I-league games and in over a year. They are too good to lose two in a row.