Gokulam Kerala FC eliminated from AFC Women’s Club Championship 2021 after going down to Shahrdari Sirjan

Gokulam Kerala FC were knocked out of the AFC Women's Club Championship 2021 after they were beaten 1-0 by Shahrdari Sirjan of Iran. The match took place at the Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium in Aqaba, Jordan on Wednesday evening.

After going down to Amman Club in their opening fixture, the clash against Sirjan was a must-win for the Malabarians. Gokulam dominated proceedings in the first half.

However, things took a U-turn at the hour mark as goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan was sent off for a challenge on Zahra Alizadeh. Afsaneh Chatrenoor's 68th minute free-kick goal made all the difference as the three points went the way of the Iranian side.

Gokulam Kerala started the match in a positive way

Gokulam Kerala were off to a more positive start than we saw in the previous match. Coach Priya PV made one change to the side, replacing forward Soumya Guguloth with Puerto Rican midfielder Adriana Tirado.

Gokulam quickly took charge of the proceedings and came close early on through Manisha Kalyan's header which was saved by the Sirjan goalkeeper.

The young forward continued to trouble the Sirjan defense on the left wing. She was undoubtedly Gokulam's most dangerous player on the day.

There was a moment of controversy in the 37th minute. A shot from Ghanaian striker Elshaddai Acheampong struck the arm of Sirjan defender Hadis Basatshir. But the VAR deemed it to be unintentional and no penalty was awarded to Gokulam.

Manisha Kalyan was a live wire on the left flank for Gokulam from start to finish. (Image - GKFC)

Aditi Chauhan's red card changed the course of the match

The Malabarians must have hoped to continue piling the pressure and break the deadlock in the second half. However, captain Aditi Chauhan was sent off for a reckless challenge on Zahra Alizadeh.

The former West Ham goalkeeper went flying into the Iranian forward outside the box and ended up kneeing her head. The match was stopped for a few minutes as Alizadeh was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

Things went from bad to worse for Gokulam immediately as Afsaneh Chatrenoor found the back of the net from the resulting free kick. Young goalkeeper Shreya Hooda had come on in place of Adriana Tirado, but was unable to keep out Chatrenoor's looping attempt.

Gokulam Kerala gave it their all in the final stages, sending more bodies forward and moving the ball with more urgency. The Malabarians needed at least two goals to stay alive in the competition.

They almost found the equalizer when Dangmei Grace's shot hit the post in the 86th minute. Substitute Soumya Guguloth combined well with Elshaddai Acheampong who then released Dangmei, but her attempt could only find the woodwork.

It was Gokulam's last real chance of the match. They succumbed to their second straight defeat in the competition, knocking them out of title contention.

Priya PV's side will be disappointed to still have no points on the board after two games. This especially after having displayed some good football on a number of occasions.

Gokulam Kerala will next take on FC Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan in their final match on Saturday, 13 November.