Gokulam Kerala ease past Quartz FC to clinch the Kerala Premier League Title

Gokulam Kerala clinched the Kerala Premier League title after a one-sided final clash against Quartz FC with a 2-0 win on Sunday at the Municipal Corporation Stadium in Thrissur, Kerala. The previous winners of Kerala Premier League which began in 2013 are Eagles FC, State Bank of Travancore (consecutive titles) and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).

Kerala Premier League also had a Women Edition earlier but now it has been defunct. The Women's Kerala Premier League only lasted for two seasons from 2014-16 in which Wayanad WFC and Marthoma College WFC were the winners in respective seasons. Since 2016, due to lack of teams, Kerala Premier League only has been a men only affair.

Gokulam Kerala came into this game with a 1-0 win over SAT Tirur while Quartz FC defeated the home side FC Thrissur by 4-2 in the other Semi-Final.

The game began in overcast conditions and Gokulam Kerala looked the better side from the initial moments. The first half saw little goalmouth action as the game largely was a middle of the pitch affair.

Quartz FC with Carlton Chapman at helm conceded in the second half as Brian Umony rounded up the defense and placed it calmly past the reach of the Quartz Keeper in the 69th minute.

Quartz switched tactics and resorted to direct play by committing too many men forward allowing the I-League side to exploit the back four. The game was put to bed when Arjun Jayaraj made it 2-0 for Gokulam Kerala FC in the 87th minute.

This title is the first for the new head coach Santiago Valera after taking over reigns from Bino George a month ago. New signings Hristijan Denkoviski, VP Suhair, Emmanuel Chigozie all featured in the Gokulam Line Up.

The I-League side lifted the cup in a sparsely filled stadium in Thrissur.