Toyota Yaris LaLiga World, Kerala Blasters FC vs Girona FC: 5 Talking Points
The final match in this edition of the Toyota Yaris LaLiga World pre-season exhibition saw ISL side Kerala Blasters take on LaLiga outfit Girona FC. The Blasters had lost their earlier game 6-0 to Australian side Melbourne Victory while yesterday, the Spanish team had beaten the team from Down Under by the exact same margin.
In an encounter where the scoreline was the one meriting predictions prior to kick-off, it ended 5-0 to Girona. After scoring just once in the first half, the Spanish side put four past the Blasters in the second to finish with a convincing win.
Here are the main talking points from the game:
#1 Eight-and-a-half minutes
That is the amount of time that it took the Blasters to get the ball back after kick-off.
After Slavisa Stojanovic took the opening kick and the ball found its way to Sandesh Jhingan who lumped it forward and out for a Girona throw-in which took all of 30 seconds, the Blasters didn't get the ball back till the 9th minute.
It was a good indicator of how the match was going to progress.
Even when they did get the ball after that initial spell from Girona, their possession lasted all of 40 seconds and four touches as a quick attempt at an attack fizzled out. It wasn't until around the 25 minute mark that the Blasters actually had their first real spell of possession.
In almost anti-climactic fashion, it ended with a disastrous back-pass straight to Girona forward Kevin Soni who had to be brought down by Zakeer Mundampara to prevent any damage.