Former champions Gokulam Kerala FC secured a thrilling comeback win over last year's runners-up Sreenidhi Deccan FC in the I-League opener at the Deccan Arena, Hyderabad, on Friday. Gokulam, who finished third last season, started aggressively with Nacho Abelado nearly scoring in the opening minute, but his attempt went wide.
Sreenidhi weathered the initial pressure before establishing their presence in the match. They took the lead in the 40th minute when Lalromawia took advantage of defensive errors by Gokulam's Mashoor Shereef and Nidhin Krishna and scored the goal after a poor clearance from Angel Orelien.
The second half saw Gokulam return with renewed vigour. Their efforts were rewarded in the 60th minute when Martin Chaves scored with his right foot, following Jagdeep Singh's unsuccessful clearance, with VP Suhair providing the assist. Gokulam took the lead in the 84th minute through Nacho Abelado, who capitalised on Emboklang Nongkhlaw's poor clearance with a precise left-footed strike.
The match ended in dramatic fashion in injury time, with Soosairaj, back from injury, setting up Tharpuia for Gokulam's third goal with a well-executed finish in the 90+5th minute.
Sreenidhi Deccan's David Castenada reduced the margin in the closing moments, but it was too little too late.
