Mohammedan Sporting Club, who are leading the I-League table at the time of writing with 38 points, know that they cannot afford to be complacent despite being significantly ahead of their competitors.
For starters, Sreenidi Deccan and Real Kashmir are vying for the second spot in the table with 33 points apiece, while Gokulam Kerala is third with 32 points to their name.
Mohammedan’s star forward Alexis Gomez, who missed most of the early stages of the second phase of the I-League due to a thigh injury, was in the news recently for his attempt at goal from the halfway line in the 59th minute against Gokulam on March 3, Sunday.
Although the ball did not go in, he had already bagged a curler for himself from just outside the box in the 23rd minute, and that was enough validation that he needed for his stellar showing on the pitch.
Chatting with Sportskeeda ahead of the Black Panthers’ next game against Namdhari FC on March 9, Gomez mentioned that his team will fight till the last for the league title.
“I am very happy to continue being first (in the league table), I try to be calm since each game is different and difficult, but the group is strong. All of us are pulling in the right direction. There is just one thing that we want and we will fight until the last to be champions,” said Gomez.
The Argentine also spoke gently about the injury that had kept him out and demoralized him in the first few matches of the second phase of the I-League after the Kalinga Super Cup, in which Mohammedan did not participate.
“I am happy to return from the injury and to be able to start and score a goal. I think that if the midfield shot had gone in it would have been a nice goal,” he added modestly about his effort from the halfway line.
“Now, the focus is on maintaining the momentum that we have” – Alexis Gomez
While opening up about the thigh injury that laid him low for a while, Gomez stated that he tried to maintain his composure and not get too bogged down thinking about it.
Now that he is back on the pitch, he will be keen on helping coach Andrey Chernyshov in attempting to win the I-League title, which will also guarantee Mohammedan promotion into the ISL next season.
“The truth is that I was sad to have been injured days before starting the second stage of this tournament, but I tried to stay calm so I could recover well and come back stronger than before.
“Now, the focus is on maintaining the momentum that we have and focus only on the games that we have ahead of us. We have to take each day as it comes and not get too ahead of ourselves,” said Gomez.