Kerala Blasters 1-1 NorthEast United: 3 Reasons why the Blasters only managed a draw | ISL 2019-20
Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United engrossed themselves in a scrappy 1-1 stalemate at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, meaning that both outfits remained stranded in the bottom half of the ISL table.
The hosts began the encounter in the ascendancy and they immediately imposed their passing identity on the game. However, they failed to carve out any clear-cut opportunities, thereby reducing them to shots from distance.
Rather ironically, the clearest chance of the opening half an hour fell to Asamoah Gyan, who somehow managed to divert his header wide off the target from a free-kick.
Thereafter, the visitors looked the likelier to break the deadlock, although they were undone by a moment of madness by Subhasish Roy. The goalkeeper committed a needless foul on the left edge of the box to hand the hosts a penalty. Bartholomew Ogbeche converted the resulting spot-kick to ensure that the Blasters entered the tunnel with a one-goal cushion tucked in their bag.
After the restart, the referee inexplicably awarded the visitors a penalty when he deemed that Seityasen Singh had handled the ball, despite replays showing that the deflection had come off his forehead. Gyan redeemed himself as he coolly slotted the ball past TP Rehenesh to restore parity.
Both sides tried to surge ahead but their efforts went in vain as Kerala’s win-less run extended to 9 games.
Here is a look at the three reasons why the Blasters only managed a draw.
3. Early substitutions force Eelco Schattorie’s hand
For NorthEast United’s visit, Eelco Schattorie decided to shuffle his back as he fielded Ogbeche as the lone striker whereas there was also a recall for Sahal Abdul Samad. Additionally, Moustapha Gning operated alongside Mario Arques as Kerala hoped to correct their dismal recent run.
However, rather startlingly, Sahal failed to fulfil the duties asked of him as he was anonymous throughout the opening period. He failed to get on the ball and whenever he lost possession, he also didn’t showcase the requisite appetite to win it back.
Furthermore, he took a knock to his knee, meaning that his mobility was limited slightly. Subsequently, Schattorie opted to haul the Indian off and replace him with Messi Bouli, thereby leading to a marginal tweak in shape.
Minutes later, Raju Gaikwad went down with a suspected hamstring injury after clearing the ball inside his own box. Though the defender tried to soldier on, he eventually hobbled off on the stroke of half-time.
Thus, through the course of the first 45 minutes, the Dutch manager was forced into a couple of substitutions; changes that also meant that he didn’t have too many tricks up his sleeve after the break.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of the Blasters’ players ran out of steam in the dying moments, especially in the unforgiving Kochi weather.
And, though Kerala portrayed a plethora of flaws on the night, the unforeseeable nature of their substitutions ensured that they made the best of a hand they were dealt, rather than crafting a winning combination from scratch.