KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting's five-match winning run in the I-League came to a halt as they were held 1-1 by Gokulam Kerala at the Naihati Stadium on Friday. However, the result could not dislodge the Kolkata giants from the top although Gokulam climbed to sixth on the table. While the black and white brigade now has 20 points from eight matches, Gokulam have 13 from eight outings.
Andrey Chernyshov's boys began on a positive note but had to wait till the 40th minute to go ahead when Argentinian Alexis Gomez found the net from the corner kick.
Mohammedan had multiple opportunities to double their lead in the early part of the second half, but failed to convert those. Bikash Singh's missed header at an open goal remained the highlight of those. Lalremsanga in particular was a thorn in the side of the Gokulam defence. The youngster created havoc with his runs from the right, constantly creating confusion in the rival ranks.
But the Kerala side upped the ante in the second half as coach Domingo Oramas introduced Sreekuttan VS who created opportunities in the rival half. The winger finally got the equaliser from a brilliant through ball by Nili Perdomo as he chipped the ball over goalkeeper Padam Chettri in the 64th minute.
However, it was Mohammedan's turn to survive after that as Gokulam's attack came in waves. But thanks to the brilliance of Chettri, who pulled off a pair of brilliant saves, they did escape with one point from home.
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