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A first-half strike from Moses Lalrinzuala and a late penalty conversion by Mirjalol Kasimov sealed a comfortable 2-0 victory for Gokulam Kerala FC over Dempo SC, as they secured their first win of Indian Football League (IFL) 2025-26 at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri on Friday.
The victory lifted Gokulam Kerala to fifth in the standings with five points from four matches, while Dempo SC are at the bottom of the table with two points from the same number of matches. Shibinraj Kunniyil was named Player of the Match, according to a release. Gokulam Kerala head coach Dimitris Dimitriou made four changes to his starting XI, bringing in Nidhin Krishna in central defence in place of Harpreet Singh, Mirjalol Kasimov for N. Shigil, and forwards Rahul Raju and Moses Lalrinzuala replacing Nili Pedromo and John Kennedy. Dempo head coach Samir Naik also made four alterations to his side, with Jose Luis Moreno coming in for Mohamed Ali in defence, midfielders Amay Morajkar and Knerkitalang Buam replacing Ariston Costa and Seigoumang Doungel, and Arnold Oliveira starting in place of Richmond Owusu on the wing. The match, which had largely been a battle for control in midfield, opened up just before the 20th-minute mark when the hosts took the lead through Moses Lalrinzuala. The winger dribbled past two Dempo players on the edge of the box before rifling a low left-footed shot beyond the outstretched hands of Ashish Sibi in goal. The Malabarians pushed for a second, dominating possession in midfield and applying sustained pressure on the opposition defence. Ashish Sibi produced a fine low save to his left to deny Trijoy Das, and moments later, Thabiso Brown's header from a cross by Moses crashed against the crossbar and went out. At the other end, Dempo, who relied on their foreign duo Sebastian Gutierrez and Marcus Joseph for creativity, found themselves stifled by a disciplined Gokulam Kerala defence. The visitors' best opportunity of the first half came when Gutierrez picked out Marcus inside the box, but the striker's effort was comfortably saved by Shibinraj Kunniyil, ensuring Gokulam headed into the break with their one-goal advantage. The home side were awarded a penalty within 10 minutes of the restart after the goalkeeper brought down Thabiso Brown inside the box. However, Ashish made amends for his error in fine fashion, diving low to his left to deny Brown from the spot and parrying the ball away to safety, keeping the score unchanged. Gokulam continued to dictate proceedings, creating better openings, while at the other end, the introduction of Laximan Rane on the left wing gave Dempo some impetus. However, despite a few promising forays, the visitors lacked the composure to make their chances count. Ashish Sibi continued to stand tall for the visitors, once again denying Thabiso Brown, who failed to capitalise on a swift counter-attack. Kingslee Fernandes released Trijoy down the right flank, and the right-back's first-time cross across the six-yard box picked out an unmarked Brown, only for Ashish to pull off a sharp save from close range. The home side put the game to bed seven minutes from time with another penalty. Kasimov stepped up and made no mistake, converting emphatically after earning the spot-kick himself when he was brought down inside the box by Aubin Kouakou. The midfielder's powerful strike flew into the top-right corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. Dempo showed their strongest intent of the match during the seven minutes of added time, creating multiple chances in a late surge. Centre-back Aubin Kouakou, pushed forward as a makeshift striker, saw his side-footed volley drift wide, and moments later, Shibinraj produced a stunning save to deny Laxmikant Rane, whose left-footed effort was creeping inside the near post. In the end, the two-goal lead was enough for the former champions to secure all three points and their first win of the season. (ANI)
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