Manjeri (Kerala), March 7 (IANS) Gokulam Kerala FC and Namdhari Sports Academy played out a 1-1 draw in the Indian Football League (IFL) 2025-26 at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, Kerala, on Saturday.

Thabiso Nelson Brown gave the home side the lead in the 33rd minute, which was cancelled out by a 73rd-minute strike by Seilenthang Lotjem as both teams played out their second consecutive draw this season.

Gokulam Kerala head coach Derick Pereira made two alterations to his starting line-up, bringing Thabiso Nelson Brown and Aman CK into the attack in place of Rahul Raju and John Kennedy Xavier Da Costa. Namdhari gaffer Harpreet Singh also shuffled his pack, handing Niraj Kumar a start in goal ahead of Nishan Singh, while Karan Kumar Sharma slotted into the defence to replace Balkaran Singh.

The hosts set the tempo early on, with Gokulam Kerala completely dominating possession in the opening 20 minutes. Captain Francisco Perdomo Borges had an excellent game in midfield, pulling the strings for the Malabarians. Namdhari, on the other hand, were resolute at the back but unable to execute their chances in the final third.

The sustained Gokulam pressure finally paid off in the 33rd minute. Borges provided a brilliant assist to set up Brown, who produced a scintillating finish to hand the hosts a well-deserved lead.

Conceding the goal sparked a reaction from Namdhari, who stepped up the ante in the final minutes of the first half, but went into the break trailing.

After the interval, the tables turned as Namdhari started to utilise the wings effectively to stretch the home defence. Harpreet Singh turned to his bench, introducing Senegalese forward Abdoulaye Diallo into the fray to inject more urgency into the attack.

The visitors’ persistence was rewarded in the 73rd minute. Diallo made a crucial impact, providing a brilliant assist for Seilenthang Lotjem, who slotted the ball home with a calm finish to restore parity at 1-1.

Searching for a late winner, Derick Pereira responded with a substitution in the 85th minute, introducing Rishad in place of Mirjalol Kasimov. With six minutes of extra time added on, both teams piled relentless pressure on each other’s penalty areas. However, despite the frantic end-to-end action, neither side could find the decisive goal, as the contest ended in a draw.

–IANS

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