Malappuram FC vs Thiruvananthapuram Kombans: Another Draw at Payyanad

Malappuram: The match between Malappuram FC and Kombans FC ended in a draw. Despite a strong effort to win, Malappuram FC could not break the tie. This is the team’s third consecutive draw at the Payyanad Stadium. John Kennedy scored for Malappuram, while Otomer scored for Kombans from a penalty. A crowd of about 21,426 attended the game.

Regarding the team lineup, Coach Miguel Coral made two changes from the previous match. Irshad came in for Akbar, and Sanju Ganesh replaced Nithin Madhu. The team played in a 4-2-1-3 formation, with Roy Krishna, Gani Nigam, and Abhijith as forwards. The midfield consisted of Facundo Ballardo, Badr, and Irshad. The defense included Spanish player Aitor Aldalur, Abdul Hakku, Sanju Ganesh, and Jithin Prakash. Muhammed Azhar was the goalkeeper.

The game started with a strong offensive push from Malappuram FC. In the first minute, a pass from Facundo created a potential chance in the Kombans’ box, but Abhijith could not connect with the ball. In the 10th minute, an attack from Kombans was stopped by a fine save from goalkeeper Azhar. A minute later, a goal opportunity for Malappuram was blocked by the Kombans’ defense. In the 12th minute, a corner kick for the Thiruvananthapuram team was collected by Azhar. A significant scoring chance for Malappuram came in the 16th minute, but captain Aitor’s shot was saved by Kombans’ keeper Aryan. In the 25th minute, a powerful shot by Irshad went just wide of the post. In the 37th minute, a shot from Kombans’ player Otomer was blocked by Aitor. The first half ended without any goals from either side.

Malappuram started the second half by making three changes to the team. Tony replaced Jithin, John Kennedy came in for Facundo, and Rishad Gafoor substituted for Gani Nigam. In the 57th minute, Tony sent a good cross from the right wing, but there were no Malappuram players in the box to receive it. In the 60th minute, Akhil Praveen came on for Irshad. Shortly after, a shot by Kennedy was saved by Kombans’ keeper Aryan. The first goal of the match came in the 69th minute, when John Kennedy scored with a header from a free-kick taken by Badr from outside the box.

In the 75th minute, the referee awarded a penalty to Kombans following a scramble in the Malappuram box. Otomer took the kick and successfully converted it into a goal. In the 87th minute, new signing Forsi was brought on to replace Roy Krishna. In the final moments, Malappuram made several attacking attempts but was unable to score. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with both teams scoring one goal each.

With this draw, Malappuram FC now holds the second position in the league table with 6 points. The team’s next match is on November 4 against Force Kochi at the Ernakulam Maharajas College Stadium. This will be Malappuram FC’s first away game of the season.