Dicka brace breaks Gokulam

Anil Datt

Ludhiana, January 20

Cameroon’s Dipanda Dicka scored a brace as Punjab FC romped to a 3-1 win over Durand Cup champions Gokulam Kerala FC in the I-League at Guru Nanak Stadium here today.

The visitors were the more attacking side early on and the Punjab players struggled to cope. Gokulam skipper Marcus Joseph combined well with Henry Kisekka and Salman Kalliyath to weave some good moves. Joseph almost found the target with a long-ranger only for the outstretched goalkeeper, Kiran Limbu, to deflect the ball on to the woodwork, much to the relief of the home side.

Around the half-hour mark, Kalliyath was played through and beat Limbu but Teah Dennis was at hand to clear the ball off the goal-line.

In the stoppage time of the first-half, Sergio Barboza of Punjab FC latched on to a loose ball before slotting it past goalkeeper Ubaid CK to give his side the lead against the run of play.

However, the joy was short-lived as Gokulam leveled the scores in the 52nd minute. Kisekka controlled a Joseph delivery from a free-kick with a deft touch before smashing the ball in off the crossbar.

But the home side regained the lead in the 64th minute, once again against the run of play. Dicka curled in a free-kick over the wall, leaving Ubaid helplessly watching. Punjab sealed the deal in the second-half injury-time after a blunder from Ubaid. Rather than clearing the ball, the goalkeeper tried to cheekily dodge past Dicka, who snatched the ball before slotting it in.

In their next match, Punjab will host NEROCA on January 29.