Indian football wrap, March 17: Bheke counts on Shillong to turn up for India’s Asian Cup Qualifier; Gokulam Kerala closes gap at I-League’s top

Indian football wrap, March 17: Bheke counts on Shillong to turn up for India’s Asian Cup Qualifier; Gokulam Kerala closes gap at I-League’s top

The Indian senior men’s team have had two training sessions in Shillong and are getting into the groove for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Bangladesh (March 25) and the preparatory friendly against Maldives (March 19).

Defender Rahul Bheke, who scored in India’s last match against Malaysia in November, said, “We’ve had a good start to the camp, with two solid training sessions. We still have two more days before our friendly, and that’s great preparation for the 25th game (against Bangladesh). I think Maldives will be a good test because they are a similar kind of side to what Bangladesh will be.”

Having played in Shillong several times during his domestic career, the 34-year-old expressed his excitement about representing the country there and hoped for a chock-a-block Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the two matches.

“I have played in Shillong before, during I-League, and recently came here with Bengaluru FC to play against NorthEast United. The weather was really cold last time, but now it’s pleasant for football. Everyone enjoyed training on the pitch here. We know that the atmosphere will be good and the support will be loud. We experienced that during the ISL. The stadium was packed. We hope that the same number of people, if not more, will be present during the India matches,” said the defender.

– Team Sportstar

Gokulam Kerala FC remained in the hunt for the 2024-25 I-League title as it sealed a dramatic 3-1 victory over nine-man Namdhari FC at the Namdhari Stadium on Monday.

Thabiso Brown (57’), Adama Niane (81’), and Ignacio Abeledo (90+2’) were the scorers for the visitor, while Manvir Singh (63’) netted Namdhari’s only goal, with all the strikes erupting in a fiercely contested second half.

Gokulam Kerala holds the fourth place in the I-League standings with 31 points from 19 matches and is just three points behind league leader Churchill Brothers, which has a game in hand.

For Namdhari FC, the match was a bitter pill to swallow even as its title hopes diminished significantly.

– Team Sportstar