I-League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Real Kashmir won against Gokulam Kerala

Real Kashmir finally achieved what they wanted to since the start of the season. The debutant team in this year’s I-League has finally climbed on top of the table. The 1-0 win against Gokulam Kerala was enough for them to leave Chennai City in the second position.

Striker Gnohere Krizo scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute of the match to collect all the points for the Snow Leopards at the TRC Stadium in Srinagar.

With the win, Real Kashmir reached 32 points from 16 matches and may retain their position until Friday, before Chennai City take the field against Indian Arrows. Gokulam’s misery continued as they remained on the 10th position with 12 points from 15 matches.

More than the match, it was the conditions of the ground that got more attention. In the freezing cold of Kashmir, incessant rain added to the player’s woes, especially for the members of the Kozhikode-based team, who came from a very hot condition.

Let us look the three reasons behind Real Kashmir’s win.

#3 Patience paid off for Real Kashmir

Gokulam Kerala had recently lost to teams like Indian Arrows and Aizawl FC thanks to their crumbling defence, which conceded goals in almost every match. But Gift Raikhan, who took over as the head coach, has changed the approach of the team. The defence is now looking more consolidated, as was seen in the previous two matches.

Real Kashmir knew very well that their task will never be easy. So, from the very first minute they kept hunting for the goal. For the first time this season, Mason Robertson partnered with regular striker Gnohere Krizo, who was back after serving suspension.

Krizo could’ve scored early in the first half but his brilliant header was saved by Gokulam goalkeeper Arnab Das Sharma. Real Kashmir maintained the pressure but the goal was not coming. They were creating chances but lacked the final finish.

However, Krizo broke the deadlock in the second half. Once again the creator was Farhan Ganie, who had scored in the last match against Churchill. Ganie took a long ranger which was somehow saved by the goalkeeper. Krizo, who was waiting nearby, calmly slotted the rebound home. Kashmir’s long wait for the goal finally paid off.

#2 Gokulam completely undone by the adverse weather

Gokulam players failed to manage the extreme conditions

Few days ago, when the then league leaders Chennai City came to Kashmir, they found the extreme cold condition harder than their opponent. Ultimately, they lost the battle to Kashmir. The case was same against Gokulam Kerala, where the weather is same as Chennai.

It’s never easy to come from a hot place to a freezing condition and win a football match. Gokulam had little time to adapt to the condition and considering their performance, it was clear that they haven’t played their natural game.

The wet field also added to their wound. Gokulam generally play short passes to create their chances. However, due to the incessant and snowfall during the match, most areas of the ground were inundated with water. As a result, Gokulam couldn’t play their natural game. Marcus Joseph, who scored in all the previous three matches, was also quiet throughout the match.

On the other hand, Real Kashmir mostly relied on long balls. So they had no problem in adapting with the conditions. In fact, had Krizo not missed some glorious chances, Kashmir would’ve won by more goals.

#1 Kashmir’s ploy of using Robertson as striker working well

When David Robertson fielded his son Mason from usual defensive position to an attacker in the Mohun Bagan match, the move surprised many. But the Scottish player silenced his critics with two scintillating goals, hence won the match for his team.

Since then, he played in the position two more matches, including the match against Gokulam Kerala. However, in previous encounters, he played as a forward in the absence of a regular striker. But against Gokulam, when David Robertson had both his strikers Krizo and Abednego Koffi Tetteh available, he decided to field his son in place of the latter.

Mason, who played as a striker in his childhood, has so far delivered his duties. He works very hard on the field and always tries to use the pace to get behind the defenders. He can also run well with or without the ball. He also has a good positioning sense and has the ability to use the second ball.

Against Gokulam, Mason created quite a few chances and complemented well with Krizo. He took a few shots on goal and kept the opponent defenders busy. Apart from the Churchill Brothers match, his performance as a striker is quite impressive.