It was a disappointing night for Gokulam Kerala as they lost a 1-0 lead to Amman SC in the AFC Women’s Club Championship. The tie took place on Sunday at Aqaba in Jordan.
Gokulam Kerala went ahead at the break, credit to a wonderful efffort by Elshaddai Acheampong. The Ghanaian wrote history, scoring Gokulam and India’s first continental goal in a women’s competition. The Indians almost pushed Amman SC all the way. After what seemed like forever, victory looked to be in touching distance.
However, the champions of Jordan did not back down from the challenge. They pushed hard and grabbed the win through Maysa Jbarah and Samia Ouni.
Gokulam Kerala ready to take AFC Championship by storm
Amman FC had the home advantage. Early on, the reigning women’s champions of Jordan were comparatively better, seeing a lot of the ball.
India keeper Aditi Chauhan was on high alert from the first whistle, stretching to make important saves. 33 minutes in, Chauhan was the match that sparked the quick counter through which the Malabarians took the lead.
The Indian keeper’s clearance unleashed Gokulam’s latest acqusition Elshaddai Acheampong. The Ghanaian set out on a run toward the Amman FC goal. The opposing keeper came off her line, giving Acheampong an easy volley to open the scoring.
The volley from Acheampong showed that Gokulam were ready to fight at the continental stage against anyone. The Malabarians went into the break at 1-0 after going toe-to-toe with Amman.
Amman SC stage brilliant comeback
9 minutes subsequent, the Jordanian champions took the lead in stunning fashion. At a tight angle, Amman SC’s set piece specialist Samia Ouni rose to the occasion. She sent in a curling freekick that was too much for Aditi who was completely beaten.
The Indian side fought hard to restore parity. But time ticked away quick and Amman proved too solid to break down. Gokulam Kerala FC boss Priya PV: “It was a tough game. The girls gave everything on the field. We were a bit unlucky. We will correct our mistakes and come back strongly“.
Next, Gokulam Kerala take on Iranian side Shahrdari Sirjan on November 10.
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