ISL: Kerala Blasters 0-0 Mumbai City FC - 5 talking points
Played in pouring rain, the match between these two sides inside a loud and boisterous Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi ended in a goalless stalemate with the teams having to share points at the final whistle. It was another clean sheet away from home for Mumbai and a valuable point while Kerala were left to rue their inability to convert their chances once again.In what was the first match of the second phase of the ISL, both teams couldn’t create many clear-cut chances. These were the major talking points from the game:
#1 Draws - Left, right and centre
Today’s draw means its now been five days and five matches since we witnessed a result in the Indian Super League, draws being the trend at the moment. Ever since FC Pune City scripted a fantastic 3-1 road win over Atletico de Kolkata on November 7, it’s been a blank in the wins column as far as the ISL is concerned.
Three of these have been goalless, the latest one being this particular fixture between Kerala and Mumbai. Incidentally, these two teams have been involved in two goalless draws each in this period. For both teams, its a second consecutive goalless draw on the bounce.
Its the middle phase of the league and the teams are a little better settled now and playing the way they want to and as a result they are finding it to break each other down. Also, with the race for the top four spots well and truly on, teams are being more cautious in an attempt to not lose games.