Malappuram FC‘s woes at their home ground continued as they suffered a 1-2 defeat in front of their supporters against Kannur Warriors in a round 4 match of Super League Kerala at District Sports Council Stadium, Payyanad in Manjeri on Wednesday.
Sardinero Adrian Corpa (13) and Asier Gomez Alvarez (30) gave the visitors a two-goal cushion in the first half an hour before Methukayil Faslurahman scored the lone goal for Malappuram in the 40th minute.
Despite playing three of their four matches in Manjeri, Malappuram are yet to taste victory on their home turf. Their only win of the SLK campaign came against Forca Kochi in the league opener in Kochi.
The result also put Kannur on top of the table with eight points from four matches, while Malappuram are fourth with four points.
On Wednesday, Malappuram faced a setback even before they stepped onto the field when their captain and key defender, Anas Edathodika, sustained an injury during the pre-game warm-up. Anas’ absence disrupted the team’s combination, leaving Malappuram with only two specialised defenders. Both the goals conceded by Malappuram came out of defensive errors.
In the 13th minute, Kannur took the lead through their captain Adrian, assisted by Asier Gomez Alvarez. Alvarez later doubled Kannur’s advantage in the 30th minute with a stunning goal. Youngster Muhammed Rashid found Adrian in the box, and the latter outfoxed two Malappuram defenders to score.
With four minutes remaining in the first half, Malappuram reduced the margin. Faslurahman scored his second goal in the league with a long-range effort from the left side of the penalty box.
In the second half, Malappuram striker Alejandro Sanchez had a good chance to equalise in the 52nd minute, but his header went wide. In the 65th minute, Brazilian Sergio Barbosa found the back of the net, but the referee ruled him offside.