Tilak Maidan: Kerala Blasters drew the 11th match of the ISL with a last minute goal. With 30 seconds left in the match, East Bengal drew level with the Kerala Blasters, who were ahead by an unbeaten margin. Australian striker Jordan Murray gave Kerala Blasters the lead in the 64th minute after a goalless first half. Defensive midfielder Scoot Neville equalized in injury time.
The Kerala Blasters called on Nishukumar in defense to take on East Bengal. Sandeep Singh, Costa Namoinesu and Jesse Carneiro also built the defense. In the middle order are Sahal Abdul Samad, Vincent Gomez, Jackson Singh and Fakundo Perera. Jordan Murray and Gary Hooper on the move. The only change was in the East Bengal line-up. The Blasters were confident of victory against Jamshedpur and attacked from the start of the match. Jordan Murray failed to capitalize on Fekundo’s low cross in the first minute. East Bengal also missed an opportunity in the third minute. Neville’s header from Magoma’s freekick went wide. Another great opportunity for the Blasters came in the fifth minute. Murray received a long ball from Carneiro into the box and fired the ball into the net, leaving the ball in Debajit’s custody. In the 11th minute, Albino Gomez blocked a goal from Milan Singh and Harmanpreet with a timely intervention.
The Blasters excelled at creating opportunities. Vicente Gomez’s header from a cross by Pereira from the left side went just wide of the post. Another header attempt in the 17th minute. Hooper’s cross, Vicente’s header from the left corner of the net, and the ball bounces wide. The Blasters struggled in the East Bengal goal area with their dominance of the ball and the Bengal team came under pressure. Milan Singh was shown a yellow card in the 34th minute for fouling Murray. The Blasters, who received a corner kick shortly after, made a tactical move but did not find the target. Sahal Lopez kicked from the left wing just outside the box and gave it to Fakundo, who was standing in front of the box. Facundo’s powerful shot missed the target. The Blasters came out on top but could not take the lead in the first half.
Jesse Cernoiro failed to find the back of the net for East Bengal early in the second half. The Bright Blasters, who received the ball back from Magoma after a corner shot, looked to be in danger on goal. The Blasters captain ‘s attempt to clear the ball in front of the net was a cause for concern but Jessel avoided danger on the second attempt. Another chance for the Blasters in the 55th minute. At the end of the move by Salah and Murray, the ball goes to the hopper in front of the box. Hooper aimed the net but the ball bounced slightly. The Blasters made the first change in the 62nd minute. Laltanga replaces Fakundo Perera at the quarry. The Blasters then broke the deadlock. In the 64th minute, Jordan Murray received a long ball from Albino Gomez’s chest and went inside the box and shot the ball into the net. Attempts by Bengal defenders Rana and Scoot to stop Murray from jumping with the ball failed miserably. The ball bounces past Debajit and into the net. Murray’s sixth goal in the league.
In the 68th minute, the Blasters pulled back the captain and brought down Juande Lopez. Bengal also fielded Anthony Pilkington to take the game back. In the 81st minute, Costa converted a superb shot from just outside the box by Pilkington. In the next minute, the Blasters’ attempt to score through a counter attack broke down the Bengal defense. The Blasters made two consecutive changes in the 84th minute. Sahal and Murray were replaced by Rahul KP and Rohit Kumar. The Blasters and East Bengal struggled to equalize. With just seconds left in the match, East Bengal found the back of the net with a corner kick, followed by the referee’s long whistle and the second leg between the two teams. With the fourth draw of the season, the Kerala Blasters have 10 points from 11 matches, including two wins and five losses. The Blasters’ next match is against Bengaluru FC on January 20 at the Bombolim GMC Stadium.
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