SC Bengaluru 1 (Thomyo Shimray 90+1’)
lost to
Gokulam Kerala 2 (Thabiso Brown 46’, Adama Niane 75’)

AIFF Media Team

BENGALURU: Gokulam Kerala FC continued their impressive late-season surge with a hard-fought 2-1 win over SC Bengaluru in a 2024-25 I-League match at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Saturday, March 22, 2025. The visitors led 1-0 at half-time.

Second-half goals from Thabiso Brown (46’) and Adama Niane (75’) proved decisive, as the visitors claimed their third consecutive win, keeping their title hopes alive. For SC Bengaluru, Thomyo Shimray (90+1’) was on target in injury time.

The result saw Gokulam Kerala climb to third in the I-League table with 34 points from 20 matches, with 10 wins, four draws, and six losses. They are three points behind leaders Churchill Brothers, who have a game in hand. With two matches remaining, the Malabarians remain firmly in the championship race. SC Bengaluru, on the other hand, are just a spot above the drop zone at 10th with 20 points from as many matches, six ahead of 11th-placed Aizawl FC, who have a match in hand.

In a match played in wet and tricky conditions, it was SC Bengaluru who started the brighter of the two. Driven by urgency, the hosts created several clear-cut chances in the first half, with Henry Kisekka and Ishaan Raghunanda going close. But they were repeatedly denied by Gokulam goalkeeper Rakshit Dagar, who pulled off a string of fine saves to keep the scores level. Dagar’s standout moment came when he thwarted Raghunanda’s goal-bound shot following a slick one-two between Thomyo Shimray and Faslurahman Methukayil.

Gokulam Kerala regrouped at the break and came out with renewed purpose in the second half. They immediately reaped the rewards. In the 46th minute, Ignacio De Loyola Abeledo unleashed a fierce left-footed strike from distance. While SC Bengaluru goalkeeper Yuya Kuriyama managed to parry it away, the rebound fell to Thabiso Brown, whose shot took a wicked deflection before nestling into the net to give the visitors the lead.

That goal flipped the momentum, and SC Bengaluru, stung by the setback, tried to mount a response. But Dagar remained impenetrable, making key interventions as the hosts pushed forward.

Gokulam Kerala delivered the knockout blow in the 75th minute. Abeledo, again involved in the build-up, floated in a teasing cross from the right. Adama Niane, who had come off the bench, timed his run to perfection and beat his marker before tapping home to make it 2-0, despite Kuriyama’s best efforts to keep it out.

SC Bengaluru did manage to pull one back in injury time when a long throw caused confusion in the box and Shimray executed an acrobatic finish to reduce the deficit. But it proved too late, as Gokulam Kerala held on to take all three points.