NAGAON, Oct 23 - I-League outfit Gokulam Kerala FC emerged champions by beating BSF Jalandhar 1-0 in the final of the 71st Independence Day Cup at the Nurul Amin Stadium here today.
In an evenly contested match Gokulam boys kept BSF defenders busy with repeated inroads which finally resulted in the goal in the 20th minute. Zola, receiving the ball off a counter attack, cruised through the BSF defence line with a solo effort and fired home the all important goal.
After the lemon break, the match was disrupted for a few minutes following a dispute between the two teams after a collision with Gokulam�s goalkeeper. But the security personnel on duty immediately brought the situation under control and the match restarted soon. After the disruption, BSF Jalandhar pushed forward in numbers in search of the much needed equaliser but failed to get the desired result.
The I-League side did quite a good job to keep the BSF man at bay with a compact defence.
Earlier, Rajya Sabha MP, Kamakhya Prasad Tasha inaugurated the final match in the presence of thousands of spectators who thronged into the stands.
A special team of Assam Yoga Sangstha led by Prabhat Bora, general secretary of the Sangstha displayed various styles of yoga too.
