AGENCIES, KOLKATA: Churchill Brothers FC Goa 11-games unbeaten run came to an end following their 0-3 defeat against their rivals Gokulam Kerala FC at Kalyani Stadium, Kolkata.
It wasn’t the same CBFC we had watched in the past 11 games. This time the leading goalscorers in the league weren’t given any opportunity to score and were left wondered on the pitch. Gokulam gave their best and indeed deserved the three points, on an evening which could have put Churchill Bros in drivers position, had they to win the match.
Vanlal Duatsanga one goal gave Gokulam an early lead while Dennis Antwi netted a brace in the second half to take them to second spot and just three points behind leaders Churchill Brothers. Gokulam and TRAU are on similar points who also had a win on Wednesday.
Gokulam Kerala FC wasted no time in formalities in the opening minutes of the match and attacked from the whistle. As early as the 3rd minute, the Malabarians had an opportunity to take the lead when Emil Benny cleverly found Dennis Antwi inside the box. However, after twisting and turning, Antwi’s shot was parried away safely by Shilton Paul.
But the breakthrough came for Gokulam a minute later courtesy of an own goal. Dennis Antwi’s swirling cross for Philip Adjah, waiting inside the box, was met halfway by Vanlal Duatsanga who, unfortunately, in an attempt to clear the ball, poked it into his own net.
Gokulam could have gone two goals ahead in under ten minutes had Dennis Antwi not skyed his shot from a tight angle after a Ronald Singh shot drew an uncanny save by Shilton Paul. The opening barrage of attacks seemed to catch Churchill Brothers off guard as the Red Machines were unable to play their brand of football.
With Gokulam dominating possession, the attacking duo of Luka Majcen and Clayvin Zuniga were often left isolated up front with chances becoming rare. In perhaps the first time of the season, Churchill Brothers looked to be completely outplayed by their their opponents l.
Two late chances for Churchill Brothers courtesy of Luka Majcen and Clayvin Zuniga, in the first half, were both saved heroically by goalkeeper Ubaid Chono. The half-time scoreline read 1-0 in favor of the Malabarians.
The Malabarians continued from the first half, in terms of dominating possession and had the lion’s share of the ball in the opening minutes of the second half. Churchill were once again left without answers as the Red Machines were hardly able to play their game, nor were their counter-attacking efforts bearing fruits.
In the 52nd minute, Ronald Singh latched onto a long ball by substitute Tahir Zaman, but before he could make the most out of it inside the area, he was brought down by Suresh Meitei. The referee pointed to the spot and Denis Antwi’s thunderous effort from the penalty kick, left Shilton Paul without a reply as Gokulam led 2-0.
The nail in Churchill’s coffin came in the 62nd minute when a long ball from the back found Dennis Antwi in the final third. Antwi wriggled past two defenders and scored with an outside-of-the-boot attempt from inside the box to hand Gokulam a 3-0 lead.
The unassailable scoreline seemed to take a toll on Churchill’s morale as they released sloppy passes and lost possession with ease. Staring down at the barrel of their first defeat, the Red Machines tried to create opportunities in the final third but were often left reeling in front of Gokulam’s superior defending. Even half-chances that usually Majcen and Zuniga score from, went awry.
