Sign of positivity for Kenkre as the substitutes offered some late fight back during the humbling defeat against defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC.
Coach Akhil Kothari made as many as 5 changes to the starting lineup which lost to RG Punjab FC on Wednesday as Sooraj Negi, Rohlupuia, Yash Mhatre, Arvindraj Rajan, and Daniel Gomes all made it to the starting lineup.
The game began with our Goalkeeper Tenzin called into action early on, a defensive error allowed Gokulam forward Jithin to take a shot from inside the box only to find an alert Tenzin punching it away. The ball went only as far as Fletcher whose first-time shot was once again saved by Tenzin. However, the third time was the charm for Gokulam as the 2nd save graciously fell to Luka Majcen, whose calm finish helped the southern side take the early lead.
The defending champions continued their domination with 2 quick goals in the 17th and 19th minutes through Jithin and Tahir Zaman. In the 24th minute, Tenzin made a brilliant save to deny Emil adding to the Malabarians tally. Kenkre soon settled into the game as we started holding our defensive setup better. Both sides entered into the break with Gokulam Kerala taking a 3-0 lead.
In the second half, Gokulam started off the blocks quickly as the Slovenian Luca Majcen took advantage of a defensive mix-up to slot home the 4th goal of the game. The game slipping away, Coach decided to ring up changes bringing in the experienced Lester Fernandes into the game. Lester’s arrival on the pitch did calm things around as the veteran started controlling the midfield and administered his teammates.
In the 70th minute, Akeraj Martins was brought on by Coach Akhil Kothari and it immediately paid off as the substitutes combined well to score a consolation goal. Lester’s brilliant through ball found Akeraj in space, whose shot from the edge of the box found the top left corner of the net.
As the game-worn out and players started tiring a late surge from Goukulam attackers allowed Luka Majcen to complete his hat-trick before Muhammed Uvais added the sixth goal for Gokulam Kerala.
In the 90+6th minute of the game, we earned a free kick from 30 yards out. An experience Lester showed his class as he stepped up to find the back of the net from a tight angle.
The referee blew the final whistle in the 90+7th minute as the game ended in a 6-2 loss for us.
We will face TRAU FC in the next match.
FT: Gokulam Kerala FC 6-2 Kenkre FC