Real Kashmir go top, beat Kerala
Srinagar, Feb. 6: The fairy tale run of Real Kashmir Football Club in the ILeague continued as the club from the Valley defeated Gokulam Kerala FC by a solitary goal to go to the top of points table here 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 full three points from the match.
The win propelled the Jammu and Kashmir side to the top of the table with 32 points, dislodging Chennai City FC ( 30 points) which, however, have two games in hand over Real Kashmir.
Chennai City will take on Indian Arrows on Friday while Real Kashmir will meet East Bengal at home on Sunday. Each team will play 20 matches in the league.
It started snowing before the match and heavy rains lashed the ground later on. The two sides played a goal- less 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.
Mason Robertson, son of head coach David, who was playing behind Krizo in a 44- 1- 1 formation, also missed a couple of chances to score. 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.
EAST BENGAL FACE
NEROCA FC Buoyed by their derby win over city rivals Mohun Bagan, East Bengal would look to do a double on Neroca FC and stay in contention for I- League title in a crucial match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Thursday.
East Bengal blanked Mohun Bagan 2- 0 in their last outing on January 27 to capture the season’s both derby legs for the first time in 15 years. Having defeated the Imphal outfit by an identical margin at the start of the season way back in October last year, East Bengal will start with psychological advantage on Thursday.