Kozhikode:Aizawl FC came from behind to notch up a 3-1 win over Gokulam Kerala in a must-win I-League fixture for the two lower-half teams here Thursday.
Gokulam Kerala, ranked 10th in the points table, drew first blood through Marcus Joseph in the 9th minute but eighth-placed Aizawl restored parity in the 83rd minute through Paul Ramfanzauva, who was also adjudged the Hero of the Match.
The highlanders struck back in quick succession twice through Mawpuia in the 88th minute and Kromah during the final moments of the added time (90′ + 6′) to seal the game in their favour. Fighting for survival at the tail of the table, the hosts took to the attacks right from the start. Gokulam Kerala FC pressed hard with Marcus and Suhair VP in combination, and looked threatening from the start. In the other game, Real Kashmir FC had a small but vociferous crowd behind them but had a man less on the turf as East Bengal notched a 2-1 win to keep their slender title hopes alive in the I-League here Thursday. On the other hand, the result at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium put paid to Real Kashmir’s aspirations of winning the league on their maiden season in top-flight. Originally slated to be held in Srinagar, the match was shifted to the national capital two days ago in view of the prevailing “uncertainty” in the Kashmir valley following the Pulwama terror attack.
Enrique Esqueda (20′) opened the scoring while Jaime Santos found the net in the 43rd minute, the Spanish duo giving the visitors a 2-0 buffer going into the second half. Aaron Katebe (67′) pulled one back for the ‘home’ team when he converted from the spot, but that was not enough to salvage something for the hosts. East Bengal are second in the standings with 36 points while Real Kashmir are out of the race with 33 points. (PTI)
