Gokulam Kerala pull off the greatest escape of Indian football in 2026

Gokulam Kerala pulled off the greatest escape of the Indian football season yet by scoring a 98th-minute winner to avoid relegation to the third division. 

Trijoy Savio Dias scored Gokulam’s most important goal of the season in the last minute of added time to keep them in the second division, the Indian Football League (IFL).

The 26-year-old Goan winger tucked in a free ball after a failed clearance as Gokulam edged Namdhari SC 1-0 in a must-win relegation tie at the Deccan Arena in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Namdhari, who started the evening on 10 points, needed a draw to survive, while Gokulam, who began at the bottom on nine points, have pushed ahead to finish on 12 points. Namdhari have been relegated to I-League 2.

Gokulam started the season in mid-February, aiming to gain promotion to the ISL (Indian Super League), the first division in Indian men's football, and join Kerala Blasters.

Had Gokulam fallen tonight, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow, considering they had won the I-League twice. It is a shame that their successive triumphs in 2020-21 and 2021-22 came before the All India Football Federation rolled out its roadmap guaranteeing promotion for the champions of the second division.

Gokulam had dominated possession (70%) and almost all the stats against Namdhari, just not finding the goal till the end. Goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil made a series of saves to keep his side in the game. At the other end, Gokulam took 17 shots and managed seven on target, but only one sneaked in, which turned out to be a historic one.