Gokulam Kerala halt Mohammedan SC's winning bandwagon in entertaining draw | I-League 2023-24
Mohammedan SC and Gokulam Kerala FC played out an enthralling 1-1 draw in their I-League 2023-24 fixture at the Naihati Stadium on Friday evening (December 8).
Gokulam Kerala will be the happier side from this result as they managed to end Mohammedan SC's five-match winning run.
The Black Panthers dominated the game but they failed to take their chances in the second half to secure the victory.
The home side began the first half with a lot of intensity and controlled the proceedings.
Lalremsanga repeatedly troubled the defense of the Malabarians but struggled to apply the finishing touches. However, the goalkeeper Devansh Dabas failed to control the ball from a corner and the backtracking defender Abdul Hakku unfortunately scored an own goal in the 40th minute.
The home side had the deserving 1-0 lead and they managed to take that to half-time.
Mohammedan SC remains unbeaten in the I-League 2023-24 despite a draw
The Black Panthers began the second-half on a positive note and had multiple opportunities to find the back of the net. However, their attackers spilled the chances, including Bikash Singh missing a header at an open goal.
Slowly, the Malabarians grew into the game and Alex Sanchez began to trouble the home team's defense. As the visitors were searching for the equalizer, the two substitutes combined beautifully to open Gokulam Kerala FC's account.
Nili Perdomo sent a beautifully crafted through ball to Sreekuttan VS and the latter didn't make any mistake in chipping it over the goalkeeper and burying it in the back of the net.
Gokulam Kerala FC tried to find the winner but Padam Chhetri made a couple of brilliant saves to salvage one point for the Black Panthers and kept their eight-game unbeaten run intact.
Now, Mohammedan SC will face Namdhari in their next I-League 2023-24 fixture, while Gokulam Kerala FC will square off against Real Kashmir next in the I-League 2023-24.