I-League: Gokulam held goalless by disciplined Kashmir

Gokulam Kerala were held goalless by a disciplined Real Kashmir in the I-League at the Kalyani Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
On the back of their 4-1 thrashing of Neroca five days ago, Vincenzo Alberto Annese had urged his players to be more ruthless. But confronted by David Robertson's well-drilled Kashmir, their barrage of attacks hit a brick wall.
Gokulam dominated possession but were deprived of the freedom they enjoyed in their previous fixture as Mason Robertson and co.sat deep and compact. Amiri and Dharmaraj Ravanan helped Kashmir stay in shape against their former team that probed with short passes and overlapping movements in midfield.
Kashmir knew from the off that they would have to be content with the chasing role as Gokulam settled into their routine of passing out from the back quite early. But for Kashmir, finding openings from breaks proved difficult as their targetman, Lukman, was often isolated.
Gokulam's improved defensive structure was crucial in keeping Kashmir at bay. Sharif Mukhammad fell back to support his centre-backs while Mayakkannan persisted in winning loose balls higher up the pitch.
But like any team that pushes men forward to retain possession, Alberto Annese's side left space on wide areas that turned into a highway for breakaway chances. Kashmir were aware but finding the right pass proved difficult. Lukman found one toward the end of the first half from a Sharif giveaway in the midfield but smashed wide.
Naocha had dominated the left flank keeping Danish Farooq and Ravanan on the back foot, which allowed the cool-headed Rashid to cut inside to an already congested midfield as Gokulam grew desperate to break the deadlock.
Dipanda Dicka made the occasional darting runs but it was Samuel Lyngdoh who looked sharper among Kashmir attackers. The nimble-footed left-winger added a bit of sparkle to Robertson's pragmatic set-up, yet he was often deprived of support. At the other end, fellow 20-year-old Emil Benny cherished the free role behind the two centre-forwards. Benny pounced on second balls, and almost hit the target in the first half, and attempted a few more in the second.
Kashmir altered their style briefly after the break as they pressed Gokulam higher up the pitch. It nearly paid off when Ralte intercepted Jestin on the edge of the box but failed to find a teammate.
With their incisive passing not penetrating a robust Kashmir defence, Gokulam tried to mix things up with the occasional long ball. Close to the hour mark, Mayakkannan floated one for Antwi, whose cross for strike partner Adjah was cut off by Mithun Samanta in the Kashmir goal.
Both sides failed to capitalise on a slew of set pieces they received. Gokulam came closer from corners but Samanta intercepted a few mid-air. A draw, their first of the season, following a pair of wins and losses has moved Gokulam to the third position in the table.