Gokulam give Minerva wake-up call : The Tribune India

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Gokulam give Minerva wake-up call

PANCHKULA:A brilliant back-flip volley strike by Henry Kisekka, after a rebound off the goal-bar, in the 76th minute helped Gokulam Kerala FC dampen Minerva Punjab FC’s hope of winning today to close in on the I-League title.

Gokulam give Minerva wake-up call

Players vie for the ball during the I-League match between Minerva and Gokulum Kerala (yellow) at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: NITIN MITTAL



Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, February 20

A brilliant back-flip volley strike by Henry Kisekka, after a rebound off the goal-bar, in the 76th minute helped Gokulam Kerala FC dampen Minerva Punjab FC’s hope of winning today to close in on the I-League title. Minerva lost their second consecutive home match by a solitary goal at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium; the result means that Minerva continue to remain second in the I-League standings table with 29 points from 15 matches. With three matches to be played, Minerva still have an excellent chance of winning the title. Gokulam Kerala FC climbed to the sixth spot with 19 points from 15 matches.

Laidback?

Gokulam had beaten East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in their last two matches. However, a few of their players were unavailable due to injuries, the team had made a tiring journey from Kozhikode to Chandigarh, and it’s possible that Minerva took them lightly. The home team made three changes in their starting XI, midfielders Akashdeep Singh and Randeep Singh, and defender Akash Sangwan replacing Armand Bazie, Souvik Das and Amandeep Singh.

The Kerala outfit was forced to replace two injured and one suspended player, with stopper-back Shinu S, Balwinder Singh and right half-back Arjun Jayaraj coming in.

Defensive game

Against expectations, Minerva started with a defensive formation. In the initial minutes, Gokulam earned their first corner, making their attacking intent quite clear. Playing with a single striker, Kisekka, the visitors almost earned a penalty when a long throw-in by Mudde Musa was handled unintentionally by Minerva defender Eric Dano.

Four minutes later, Minerva striker Chencho Gyeltshen made a brilliant run from the left flank but could not complete the job. In the 32nd minute, Minerva earned two back-to-back free-kicks, but again it did not trouble Gokulam’s defence.

But Minerva’s tactic of playing long passes troubled the visitors as Akash Sangwan and Chencho combined well to launch a few attacks. In the 40th minute, Minerva brought in Amandeep Singh for Randeep. The substitution did not make a difference to Minerva’s style of play and the first half ended 0-0.

Improved Gokulam

In the second half, the Kerala boys tried to dominate the proceedings with an improved attack and the midfielders more in control of the game. Minerva’s half-line failed to stop the attacks and Gokulam began to enjoy an edge. For the home team, only Chencho was giving some strength to the attack, with little support from his teammates.

In the 66th minute, Minerva were rattled when a volley by Arjun Jayaraj hit the crossbar. Just four minutes later, Mohammed Rashid came up with a similar attempt, and the ball again hit the top left of the goal-bar but didn’t go in.

Goal

These continuing attacks bolstered Gokulam, and in the 76th minute, Mohammed Salah chipped a cross right on the top of the penalty area to find Kisekka. The striker headed the ball clear of Minerva goalkeeper Kiran Limbu, but the ball hit the goal-post; as the ball bounced back, Kisekka was alert to the possibility of a goal and he achieved it with an overhead volley.

After scoring, the Kerala outfit slowed the pace of the game in an attempt to play out time, frustrating the Minerva dug-out. However, the home team fought hard and got a few chances but poor finishing by William Opoku proved costly for the team. Limbu too missed a chance when his header, off a long throw-in by Sukhdev, missed the Gokulam goal-post by a whisker.

Bad pitch: George

Gokulam coach Bino George said the ground conditions were very poor. “Our team did not play as per the plans. We wanted to play with more possession but the condition of the ground was very poor,” said George. Minerva FC’s coach Wangkhem Khogen Singh tried to avoid the issue, saying the conditions were same for both the teams. 


Coaches’ Corner

We played on a very poor ground. I was well aware about Minerva’s tactics, they play aerial passes. They defeated us the same way at our home. So we changed our strategy. We were tired but this win calls for a celebration. Our boys played without any pressure despite the absence of our main players. Our aim is to qualify for the Super League. — Bino George, Gokulam coach

We failed to implement the plans on the field. I think the boys surrendered to the pressure. We should have won the game to claim these important three points. The substitutions and changes in the playing squad were made to set the game-plan. But it did not work for us today. Wangkhem Khogen Singh, Minerva coach

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