Defending champions Gokulam Kerala registered a comprehensive 6-2 win against Kenkre FC while TRAU stunned Churchill Brothers 2-0 in the I-League matches on Saturday. (More Football News)
Luka Majcen struck a superb hat-trick to secure Gokulam Kerala’s pole position in the points table in a game which for most parts was one-way traffic at the Kalyani Stadium.
Gokulam came into this game on the back of two wins and a draw in their first three games which included a huge win against Real Kashmir FC. Gokulam wasted no time in securing the lead as their Slovenian striker Majcen got his name on the scoresheet in the third minute with a poacher's goal.
Kenkre goalkeeper Tenzin Samdup saved a close-range shot but Majcen pounced on the rebound inside the box to place it in the net. The Kerala side doubled their lead in the 16th minute as Benny looped one over the Kenkre defence which was delicately placed into the net by Jithin.
Gokulam's third goal came a minute with Thahir Zaman smashing one in the top corner from his right foot. After resumption, Majcen got an easy tap-in after a defensive blunder to score Gokulam's fourth goal in the 47th minute.
Kenkre pulled one back in the 74th minute with Akeraj Martins cutting in from the left flank and ending the move with a cool finish. Majcen got his hat-trick goal in the 85th minute with a well-placed header which Kenkre goalie Tenzin was only able to push into the goal.
Gokulam defender Muhammed Uvais scored the sixth goal for his side in the 90th minute as he smashed one into the top right corner before Lester Fernandez scored a sublime free-kick in the final minute of stoppage time for Kenkre FC.
In the other match of the day played at Naihati stadium, Kishan Singh (34th) and Douglas Veloso (52nd) scored for TRAU in a comfortable victory against their Goan opponents. The Imphal team was the better of the two throughout as their labour in search of a goal yielded result in the 34th minute after a fantastic team move.
After cutting in from the wide left, Kishan Singh took a left-footed shot which deflected on its way into the net. The Red Pythons were kept in the lead by their goalkeeper Amrit Gope who made an acrobatic save to keep a Komran Tursunov's thunderbolt from over 25 yards away.
TRAU extended their lead in the 52nd minute through Douglas Veloso, who got on to the end of a cross from the right flank.
