Hitman: Gani Nigam carried by his teammates after netting for Calicut FC.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
Forca Kochi FC made a great comeback and forced the high-flying Calicut FC to a 1-1 draw in the Mahindra Super League Kerala at the EMS Corporation Stadium on Wednesday night.
Calicut, playing at home in front of a good crowd, began as the favourite after its big away win over Malappuram FC.
And despite Kochi looking a shade better, Calicut took the lead through its local forward Gani Nigam, who had scored twice against Malappuram, a few minutes before half-time.
But Kochi levelled the score halfway through the second half through Ngubo Siyanda who had come in a few minutes earlier.
Calicut’s goal caught Kochi by surprise. Jijo Joseph shook off a couple of rival players and sent a smart pass to Gani Nigam.
The Calicut forward had two defenders near him but he cooly sent a floating shot that forced the Kochi goalkeeper S. Hajmal to stretch fully and, a second later, watch helplessly as the ball went in.
The home side came close to increasing the lead early in the second half but Richard Osei’s dangerous header, off a corner, was neatly tipped over by the Kochi goalie Hajmal.
New vigour
Kochi came with new vigour in the second half and 10 minutes into the session, the Calicut goal came under much threat with three attempts by the visiting players but goalkeeper Vishal Joon warded off danger each time.
The equaliser soon came with South African Ngubo Siyanda heading in a long cross from the right from Kamalpreet Singh in the 75th. It was the third match for both sides in the six-team league and while Calicut has five points, winless Kochi has two points.
The result:
Calicut FC 1 (Gani Nigam 41) drew with Forca Kochi FC 1 (Ngubo S’phephelo Siyanda 75).
Published – September 19, 2024 12:22 am IST
