Dream debut for Gokulam Kerala in AFC Cup

Don’t blame Gokulam Kerala FC (GKFC) for wanting to make the Salt Lake stadium their home. They have bagged the Durand Cup here and retained I-League winning against the giants of Indian club football en route. On Wednesday, the biggest night in the five-year history of the club, GKFC ran out 4-2 winners in their AFC Cup opener against ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB), who were profligate in the first half and feckless in the second.

They could have won by more but it still felt like GKFC coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese was rubbing it in when he said battling relegation in the I-League, Real Kashmir gave them “more problems”. He didn’t leave it there. “There is no difference between I-League and ISL,” said Annese, adding that he was “disappointed” that India head coach Igor Stimac “doesn’t give I-League players a chance.”

When the television cameras caught Stimac, he looked worried. It could be because a number of India players at ATKMB looked emasculated and were being punished on the break. And running out of ideas as GKFC shut out space in their back third. Led by the indomitable Luka Majcen, who kept finding pockets of space, GKFC unleashed runners in Rishad, Jithin MS and Emil Benny who steamrollered their fancied opponents with smart transitions and clinical finishing. That was something ATKMB could not do in the first half.

The match turned on its head in the 37th when ATKMB had to do without the assuredness of Tiri in central defence following a collision with Majcen. Tiri is out with an ACL and his replacement Ashutosh Mehta was roasted by GKFC’s pace and press. He was replaced by Ravi Rana in the 77th but Mehta’s night was done when he couldn’t deal with the physicality of Jourdain Fletcher whose pass found Majcen for the third goal in the 65th minute.

Like with that goal, referee Seyed Kazemi played the advantage rule for the second in the 57th. As Fletcher looked for options, Benny took away Joni Kauko and a moment of indecision from Lenny Rodrigues was all Rishad needed to make it 2-1. Pritam Kotal had made it 1-1 in the 53rd and Liston Colaco’s free-kick 2-3 in the 70th but Majcen, who had scored the first goal in 50th, set up Jithin in the 89th to add another chapter to the GKFC fairytale.

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