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Gokulam Kerala FC, the 2019 champions, came off the better and with the Kerala derby bragging rights, in a seven-goal slugfest against the Kerala Blasters in a Group C game of the 132nd Durand Cup at the Mohun Bagan ground in Kolkata on Sunday. There were four goals in the first-half and three in the second as Gokulam Kerala clinched their second straight victory in as many games to go on top of the group. For Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters, this was their first game in the group and they will now be looking to win their remaining two, to remain in contention.
Belgian Frank Dauwen was in charge of the Kerala Blasters on the day and chose to keep players like Danish Farooq, Rahul KP and Hormipam on the bench to begin with. Domingo Oramas, Gokulam Kerala’s Spanish coach fielded more or less the same set of players in a familiar 4-4-2 formation with Sreekuttan and Alex Sanchez the two men upfront.
Although it was the Manjapaddas who looked the more dangerous in the first-half on set pieces, it was the Malabarians who scored first from one, just past the quarter of an hour mark.
Basit Bhat, who has been impressive in this tournament, won the corner after his long-ranger took a touch off a Blasters defender and deflected away from goal. Spaniard Nili Perdomo curled the right-footer in for Cameroonian captain Bouba Aminou to use his height and soar above Jeakson Singh and turn the header into top left corner.
The Kerala Blasters were stunned and responded with urgency. Seven minutes later young 20-year-old Nigerian striker Emmanuel Justine, turned a similar header from an Adrian Luna corner above the crossbar. Then Luna missed from about six-inches wide.
Finally, off a Luna free-kick which Gokulam Kerala keeper Zothanmawia fisted back towards the six-yard box, Naocha’s header on the rebound hit the bar and came back into play again. In the melee which ensued, Justine did well to muscle the ball in for his first goal for his new club.
The Manjapaddas joy was short-lived though as Perdomo put through Alex Sanchez inside the Kerala Blasters box, three minutes ahead of the regulation first 45. The Spaniard drove in and cut-back towards the far post, where Sreekuttan did well to balance himself perfectly and direct a header into goal. It was a second quality goal from him in the tournament in as many successful attempts.
Then in the first minute of added time, a similar ball for Alex by Perdomo, saw him fend-off his marker Naocha Singh and get a lucky touch ahead of him and an onrushing keeper Sachin Suresh, as the ball hit the keeper’s gloves and trickled in for Gokulam Kerala’s third.
The break did nothing to stop the goal rush and Abhijith this time, put Sreekuttan’s strike in the first game against the Indian Air Force into oblivion with a thunderbolt just two-minutes into the second-half. Alex it was who got his second assist after a galloping run to the box, whereafter he withdrew and laid it on square for Abhijith. The 26-year-old central midfielder put his laces through the ball, bulging the right top-corner of Sachin’s goal for Gokulam Kerala’s fourth.
If anyone thought the Kerala Blasters would give up in a derby, they were in for a surprise.
The sixth goal of the game was scored by Prabir Das, after a dazzling and penetrating foray by Mohammed Aimen, who took out two defenders and then finally the goalkeeper with his dink back into the box. Prabir who had followed up on the far post, made no mistake with the finish.
Then Adrian Luna made it a one-goal game again, after a few minutes of inspiring play by substitute Bidhyasagar Singh. After he had missed a sitter, the 25-year-old Manipuri striker embarked on a solo run and put through Aimen once more on the left. The young midfielder put it in the box where after a couple of defections it fell for the Uruguayan who blasted it in.
However, try as the Kerala Blasters might in the final 10 plus minutes, it was going to Gokulam Kerala’s day as they pulled off a famous 4-3 derby victory.
