Captain Jijo Joseph led Kerala to a 5-0 victory at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium.
Malappuram, First Published Apr 17, 2022, 12:06 PM IST
Malappuram: Captain Jijo Joseph said that the real challenge awaits Kerala Football Team in the upcoming matches of the Santosh Trophy. After the stunning victory over Jijo Rajasthan (Kerala vs Rajasthan), he said he would try to rectify the mistakes and perform better. Coach Bino George said that attacking football is the style of Kerala. Bino George said the first goal was to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Captain Jijo Joseph led Kerala to a 5-0 win over Rajasthan at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium. Nijo Gilbert and Ajay Alex are the other scorers for Kerala. Payyanad witnessed a packed crowd and Kerala took the lead in the sixth minute. Jijo was scoring from a free kick. Kerala took the lead at the end of the first half. Nijo’s right – footed shot goes wide of the post. Jijo’s second goal came in the 58th minute. The player shook the net after receiving Rahim’s through pass. Soon a fourth goal was scored. Jijo completed the hat trick by stepping on a ground cross provided by Soyal Joshi. Ajay Alex scored in the 82nd minute to give Kerala a thrilling victory in the first match of the championship.
Kerala will take on Bengal in the second match on Monday. It is also a fiery battle between the two forts of Indian football. Bengal will take on Kerala at the Kottapadi Stadium after defeating a strong Punjab side by an unbeaten margin. Shubham Baumik scored the winning goal in the 61st minute. Meanwhile, as coach Bino George said during the team announcement, Kerala is hoping that the midfielders will fill the field. The fan support of Malappuram, the heartland of football, will also strengthen Kerala against Bengal.
Kerala Team: Mithun V, S Hajmal (Goalkeepers). Sanju G, Soil Joshi, Bibin Ajayan, Ajay Alex, Mohammad Saheef, PT Mohammad Basit (defense). Arjun Jayaraj, Akhil P, Salman, Fazlu Rahman, NS Shigil, PN Noufal, Nijo Gilbert, Mohammad Rashid, Jijo Joseph (middle order). M Vignesh, Jessin, Muhammad Shafnas (advance).
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Last Updated Apr 17, 2022, 12:12 PM IST
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