FOOTBALL
Manzi, Faslu score as Malappuram sparkles in MSLK’s opening night
John Gregory, who had coached Chennaiyin FC to the 2017 ISL title, has moulded Malappuram FC into a fine unit and it showed as the side comfortably beat Forca Kochi FC in the inaugural Mahindra Super League Kerala opener at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday night.
Uruguay-born Spaniard Pedro Manzi and Kerala’s M. Faslu Rahman scored a goal each and came up with an assist too in the opening session as Malappuram walked all over a quiet Kochi.
Malappuram appears to have had a good pre-season and it came up with some smart moves, using the wings nicely to advance. The opening goal came after one such move with Faslu sending a long cross from the right which Manzi nodded home neatly minutes after the start.
The second goal came off a freekick that had a nice Spanish touch and variety to it. Spaniard Aitor Aldalur, who took the freekick, tapped it to his compatriot Joseba Beitia nearby who then sent it to Manzi. The forward received it with a header and passed it to the well-positioned Faslu who finished the job with a nice sliding shot.
Kochi had a wily midfielder in Raphael Augusto, who had won the ISL title twice with Chennaiyin FC earlier, but Malappuram did not allow him much space. Kochi appeared lost for a major part of the game and its best chance came late in the first half but Tunisian Dziri Omran shot wide from close.
The MSLK had a colourful opening ceremony, with cine actors and musicians, which had the crowd of about 10,000 on its feet for most part of the night.
The result:
Forca Kochi 0 lost to Malappuram FC 2 (Pedro Manzi 4, Faslurahman 40).
– Stan Rayan
