Malappuram: The Kerala Super League match between Kannur Warriors FC and Malappuram FC ended in a goalless draw. Both teams failed to score. They played cautiously in the first half, while the second half saw an increased focus on attacking. After two rounds in the league, Kannur remains at the top of the points table with four points from two matches, following their victory against Trivandrum Kombans in their first match.
Malappuram’s goalkeeper, Mohammed Ashar, was the standout player, successfully stopping several chances aimed at the goal from Kannur. Both teams made changes from their starting formations, with Kannur using a 4-3-3 setup and Malappuram opting for a 3-5-2 formation. Kannur replaced winger Gokul with left-back Manoj and included Sandeep in the starting lineup.
Malappuram started the match with Akbar Siddique replacing the injured Fazalur Rahman. For Kannur, CK Ubaid was in goal, supported by defenders Nicholas Delmundo, Sandeep, Vikas Saini, and Sachin Sunil. The midfield included Lovesam, Abin Das, and Asiyar Gomez, while Manoj, Shijin T, and Abdul Kareem Samb took offensive positions.
Mohammed Asaruddin was the goalkeeper for Malappuram, backed by Abdul Hakku, Nidhin Madhu, and Jithin Prakash in defense. The midfield featured Facundo Bellacco, Badr, Gani Ahmed, P.A Abhijith, and captain Aldalur. Roy Krishna and Akbar Siddique led the attack.
Kannur Warriors started carefully and soon sought to attack. They utilized their right flank for multiple attempts. In the 31st minute, Kannur created a chance when right-back Sachin Sunil sent a powerful cross into the box, but Malappuram’s keeper Asar punched it away. Two minutes later, Nicholas Delmundo’s forward effort hit the post and went out. Malappuram also had some opportunities, yet neither team managed to score, leading to a goalless draw.
In the second half, Gani Ahmed from Malappuram received a yellow card in the 49th minute. Just a minute later, Jithin Prakash was also shown a yellow for a foul on Shijin. The subsequent free-kick from Abin Das came close but did not find its target. In the 55th minute, Kannur had a potential scoring chance; Manoj’s cross aimed at the goal was headed away by Malappuram’s Asar. Malappuram found a significant chance shortly after when Roy Krishna broke through but was quickly tackled by Sandeep before he could score.
In the 60th minute, Abhijith made an individual run from the right but couldn’t score. Kannur’s Nicholas Delmundo received a yellow card in the 63rd minute for pulling down a Malappuram player. In the 81st minute, Kannur had another opportunity from a corner kick taken by Abin, but Vikas’s clever chip shot was deflected by Asar. Another chance arose in the 82nd minute, but Nicholas’s header aimed at goal was again thwarted by Malappuram’s goalkeeper. Kennedy, who came on as a substitute, attempted a few efforts for Malappuram but failed to find the net.