The Kannur Warriors made a strong start to their Super League Kerala campaign, overcoming a first-half deficit to defeat the Thrissur Magic 2-1 at the Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium. The Magicians took the lead in the 36th minute thanks to a well-placed finish from Abhijit, following a clever pass from C.K. Vineeth. The Warriors, however, persevered and found their equaliser in the 71st minute when David Grande volleyed in a deflected shot off a throw-in from Vikas. The pressure continued to mount on Thrissur, and in injury time, Alvaro Alvarez headed in a corner kick from Pragyan Gogoi to seal the victory for the Warriors.
Meanwhile, in the final of the 60th Kerala State senior inter-district football championship, the host team Kottayam emerged victorious, defeating Thiruvananthapuram 1-0 at the St. Thomas College ground in Pala. The match was a tense affair, with Kottayam relying heavily on players from the northern part of the state, including several from Malappuram and Kozhikode.
The decisive goal came in the 55th minute, when Febin Nasim, a 21-year-old from Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, headed in a cross from V.S. Faris Ali. Kottayam, who had an extra day’s rest following their semifinal victory, looked fresher than their opponents, and their backline successfully stifled the Thiruvananthapuram forwards.
The championship’s ‘Best Player’ award went to C. Jacob of Kottayam, while Jijo Jaison of Thiruvananthapuram was named ‘Best Forward.’ The match was originally scheduled to be held at the Municipal Stadium but was shifted to St. Thomas College due to heavy rain which made the former venue unplayable.
