Sreenidi Deccan stunned defending champions Gokulam Kerala 1-0 as they continued their impressive run in the I-League with their third win of the season here on Sunday. (More Football News)
After a series of missed chances at both ends, a 63rd-minute-long ranger from Faysal Shayesteh proved to be the winner as Gokulam Kerala stumbled to their first defeat of the season.
Sreenidi Deccan started the game on an attacking note and earned five corners in the first five minutes of the game but couldn't take advantage of the set pieces.
The best chance of first the half came in the 27th minute for Gokulam when Noufal PN sent a cross from the right flank to Thahir Zaman, whose shot was blocked by Arijit Bagui with a last-ditch effort.
The midfield trio of Faysal Shayesteh, Mayakkannan, and Konsam Phalguni Singh dominated the proceedings for Sreenidi and initiated attacks, but the Gokulam defensive pair of captain Aminou Bouba and Pawan Kumar did well to prevent any real threat to their goal.
Gokulam went on the offensive in the second half as Zaman took a shy at the goal from outside the box that missed the target by a whisker. Three minutes later, Somlaga dribbled past Awal and took a shot which went just over the bar.
On the other end, Shayesteh caught the Malabarians on the counter in the 50th minute as he provided a pass for Phalguni Singh, but the midfielder took a rather disappointing shot that fetched no result.
The Deccan Warriors finally broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute with Phalguni Singh initiating a move for Shayesteh, who took a low shot at the goal beating the Gokulam keeper Shibinraj Kunniyil from distance.
Sreenidi Deccan have now won three out of their four games and have nine points. Gokulam Kerala conceded their first goal of the season as they have seven points with two wins and a draw from their four games.
In the other match of the day played in Kolkata Mohammedan Sporting beat TRAU FC 1-0 via a 40th minute strike from Faslu Rahman. This was Mohammedan Sporting's second consecutive win. They had lost their opening two matches of the season.
The match marked the much-awaited first appearance of the season for midfield maestro Nikola Stojanovic. The Serbian played a key part in the Black and White Brigade's second-place finish last season.
The result saw Andrey Chernyshov's Mohammedan Sporting rise to sixth place in the standings with six points. TRAU, on the other hand, slipped to seventh position with four points.
