Kozhikode: Calicut FC has become the first team to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the Amul Sports.com Super League Kerala. They confirmed their place by defeating Malappuram FC 3-1 in a Malabar derby held at the EMS Stadium.
Jonathan Pereira, Mohammed Ajmal, and Federico Buasso scored for Calicut. Aitor Aldalur scored the only goal for Malappuram. During the match, Malappuram’s Gani Ahmed Nigam received a red card. After eight rounds, Calicut leads the table with 17 points, while Malappuram is in fourth place with 10 points.
In the ninth minute, Malappuram captain Hakku and teammate Badar narrowly missed a scoring opportunity from a corner kick. Just three minutes later, Calicut took the lead. Argentinian player Jonathan Pereira scored with a long-range shot that beat Malappuram’s goalkeeper Jaseem, making the score 1-0.
In the first half, Gani Ahmed Nigam, L Foursy, and Irshad from Malappuram, along with Calicut’s Jonathan Pereira, received yellow cards. In the 40th minute, a shot by Asif was saved by the Malappuram goalkeeper.
At the start of the second half, Malappuram brought on Ishan Pandita and Aitor Aldalur. In the 54th minute, Gani Ahmed Nigam was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Roshan.
In the 60th minute, Ishan Pandita missed a clear chance to score as his shot was saved by Calicut’s goalkeeper Hajmal. Calicut then substituted Bruno Cunha and Arun Kumar into the game. In the 80th minute, Malappuram equalized when substitute captain Aitor Aldalur scored from a free-kick, leveling the score at 1-1. With just two minutes left in regular time, Mohammed Ajmal scored a header to put Calicut back in the lead at 2-1. This goal keeps Ajmal as the league’s top scorer with six goals. During injury time, Federico Buasso scored another goal to secure a 3-1 victory for Calicut. A total of 34,173 people attended the match.
The first-leg match between the two teams in Manjeri had ended in a 3-3 draw.
The next match in the ninth round will be on Thursday, November 27, between Thrissur Magic FC and Forza Kochi FC. The game will kick off at 7:30 PM at the Thrissur Corporation Stadium.
Live Broadcast:
The match will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 2, DD Malayalam, and Sports.com. In the UAE, the game can be watched on Etisalat’s e-vision channel (No. 742).
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