"Greg hasn't eaten for two days" - Jamshedpur FC head coach reveals Stewart played with stomach ailment against Kerala Blasters FC
Greg Stewart scored an incredible free-kick for Jamshedpur FC in an enthralling 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday.
Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle revealed after the game that physically the Scotsman wasn't at his very best ahead of the game. Greg Stewart was down with an upset stomach.
Did we just witness the Goal of the season from Greg Stewart? ๐ฅ๐
#KBFCJFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball @JamshedpurFC https://t.co/qKGAWLfGN9
Speaking to the press after the game, Owen Coyle also lauded Stewart for his outrageous free-kick against Kerala Blasters FC.
"He's a wonderful player and that's why I brought him to the club. But I got to say, Greg [Stewart] hasn't eaten for two days, he's got an upset stomach. But he still wanted to be out there. That shows the spirit. Before the game, I told him 'Just give us what you have and if you need to come out, I'll bring you off.' So it's great to have him in the ISL.", the Jamshedpur FC head coach said.
Stewart's goal put Jamshedpur FC ahead but Kerala Blasters FC restored parity through Sahal Abdul Samad in the 27th minute. Although Jamshedpur FC had a wealth of chances throughout the game, they failed to convert them.
Asked by Sportskeeda if the result was a fair representation of the game, Owen Coyle said:
"It was a very good game with two well-matched teams. I do feel we edged it in terms of the chances we created. But we were often caught on the counter-attack because Kerala Blasters FC has good players. It was a little disappointing. In terms of the overall game, I felt if any team was going to win the game, it was certainly us."
View the today ISL match result here.
Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic lauds Sahal Abdul Samad for his performance against Jamshedpur FC
After tonight's goal against Jamshedpur FC, Sahal Abdul Samad is now the joint Indian top scorer in the ISL this season with four goals. The young Indian midfielder had no goals in 14 matches last season. But this year, Sahal has already galloped to four goals in eight games.
Asked if the Kerala Blasters FC coach had tweaked anything in his playing style, Ivan Vukomanovic said:
"Sahal [Abdul Samad] is one of the domestic Indian players who has real potential to grow. I think he's doing an excellent job because he is implementing the things that we wanted to add to his game. In football, you have to be in the right spot at the right time. We are trying to work on those things. Not only with Sahal but also the other guys."
4โฃ Goals in 8โฃ matches! โก
@sahal_samad is in the form of his life! ๐คฉ
#HeroISL #LetsFootball
#Repost @keralablasters
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เดเดนเตเดฒเดพเดฆเด, เดธเดเดคเตเดชเตเดคเดฟ ๐๐คฉ
#KBFCJFC #YennumYellow #KBFC #เดเตเดฐเดณเดฌเตเดฒเดพเดธเตเดฑเตเดฑเตเดดเตเดธเต https://t.co/vP21IbDciN
Kerala Blasters FC head coach further added:
"Now Sahal's a guy who can attack from the right side, from the left, from the middle because he has the potential to do it. And I firmly believe that he can improve. I'm so happy for him. I'm happy for all the fans who are supporting him. I think that he has a great future for Kerala blasters and India."
Meanwhile, the draw has left Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters FC second and third in the ISL points table respectively. They are level on points with an identical goal difference. Asked what he made of the game, Ivan Vukomanovic said:
"The game marks the end of an exhausting week. We knew it would be a tough and physical game against Jamshedpur FC. We knew exactly how they wanted to play -- with long balls, pressure on our last man and with men running behind our backline. We were ready for that. We were ready for that fight. It's seven games in a row without defeat for the club as well. It's a huge achievement and we have to be happy."