Hyderabad: Gokulam Kerala FC’s 3-2 victory over Sreenidi Deccan FC on Friday, November 22 marked the beginning of the latest I-League season. The inaugural match of the 2024-25 season came amidst much chaos around its broadcasting rights and further boycott calls against the season.
The opening match set a thrilling mood with Gokulam’s Nacho Abelado’s almost-a-goal miss within the first minute. Sreenidi Deccan, the previous year’s runner-up, took immediate relief efficiently resisting the pressure. The first half witnessed Deccan FC taking over the anchor with Lalromawia. The midfielder utilised a defensive error made by the opponent’s Mashoor Shereef and Nidhin Krishna, who failed to clear a pass from Angel Orelien.
The second half saw Gokulam vigorously trying to take the lead. In the sixteenth minute, Martin Chaves struck a powerful right-footer, equalising the score. The opportunity arose from a defensive error of Sreenidi’s Jagdeep Singh, who failed to clear a cross effectively. This mistake enabled Gokulam striker VP Suhair to provide a key assist, setting up Chaves for a powerful right-footed strike.
Towards the end, in the 84th minute, Gokulam came closer to the win with Nacho Abeldo’s redemptive score for his earlier miss. A well-placed left-footed shot from the former Barcelona B star was facilitated by Sreenidi’s Emboklang Nongkhlaw’s poor clearance.
Sreenidhi’s Tharpuia harnessed the overtime by scoring a goal with the assistance of Soosairaj, who came back to the field after an injury, further solidifying Gokulam’s lead in the match. Despite the setback, Sreenidi scored a late goal with the help of David Castenada. However, it wasn’t enough to change the course.
Meanwhile, Inter Kashi won against SC Bengaluru by a goal in the second match of the season at Kolkata on Saturday, November 23. The next match will happen at 2 p.m. of the day between Namdhari FC and Delhi FC.
I-Legaue, India’s second after ISL, witnessed a rough patch from all the 12 clubs because of its decision to give broadcasting rights to Shrachi Sports over Sony Network. They were met with boycott calls for this season.
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