What's the story?
Indian Arrows' Rahul Kannoly scored a great goal today in the Super Cup qualifier against Mumbai City FC giving a surprise lead to the young side.
In case you didn't know...
Rahul Kannoly was born in Thrissur, Kerala and started playing football at a very young age. He was a part of the AIFF Elite Academy and a vital cog in the FIFA U-17 World Cup squad under Portuguese coach Luis Norton de Matos. Rahul scored two goals in the recently concluded I-League season for the Indian Arrows.
The heart of the matter
Rahul Kannoly displayed great individual skill to get the first goal for the Indian Arrows side in the 76th minute to make it 1-0 for the youngsters.
Rahul received the ball from his teammate Aniket Jadhav and flicked it over Mumbai City FC captain Lucian Goian who had rushed out to get to the ball first. Rahul's flick allowed him to run past the tough-tackling Goian and create space for himself to take the shot on goal. Amrinder Singh had rushed out to close down the angle for the youngster but Rahul showcased his maturity to guide the shot past the Mumbai keeper to score.
A notable point from the goal is the fact that the young Rahul managed to outfox one of the best defenders in the Indian Super League over the years, Lucian Goian with a silky skill and even went past him with ease to get the goal.
What's next?
Although this is the end of the season for Indian Arrows, the youngsters will have learned a lot from their first season in top-flight football, something that could help them a lot in the future
Author's take
Rahul Kannoly was adjudged the Hero of the Match for his gutsy performance. He is one of the brightest prospects in the Indian Arrows side and had a couple of good chances to score today. With time on his side, there is a lot that can be expected in the future from this young man.