Gokulam FC post first win of I League

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New Delhi, December 22: Gokulam Kerala FC posted their first win of the 11th I League, getting the better of Indian Arrows 2-0 at the Ambedkar Stadium.

Ghanian Daniel Addo (11th minute) and Syrian Khaled Alsaleh (64th minute) scored for the visitors as a now trademark spirited performance for the Arrows youngsters yet again failed to deliver a point for them.

This was Gokulam Kerala FC's second away match while it was the first time that the Indian Arrows played in Delhi in the I League, which was touted as their home base before the start of the league.

Gokulam move from ninth to the seventh position on the points table with this win while the Arrows move down a position to ninth place.

In the first half, Gokulam Kerala FC were the more attacking and even looked the side more in control of the game even though possession was split equally.

The initial enterprise was shown by the Indian Arrows. In the 8th minute, the self-driven and pacy Aniket Jadhav first cut in from the left to play the ball to Abhishek Halder near the top of the box, but his feeble left footer lacked direction. A minute later, he again broke through from the left beating Provat Lakra for pace but could not get the critical pass in.

Then almost against the run of play, Kerala's Ghanian centre-back, Daniel Addo jumped high above everyone, off a Rohit Mirza corner from the left flank in the 11th minute, to drill a header into the Arrows net.

The Arrows began the second half with a lot more intent. Three corners and a couple of set pieces in advantageous positions being the result. In the 58th minute, from one of those free-kicks from about 30-yards away, Sanjeev Stalin curled a vicious right-footer which beat the Gokulam keeper Bilal all ends up but struck the upright, in what turned out to be the Arrows best chance of the game.

Stalin's overenthusiasm post the free-kick though cost his team a second goal. He picked up a needless yellow card on the right flank with a reckless tackle on Santu Singh. From the resultant free-kick, Alsaleh curled a looping left-footer, which beat everyone including Dheeraj in goal, to double Gokulam's lead in the 64th minute.

Source: AIFF Media