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The last pre-quarterfinal match took place between ISL franchise Kerala Blasters FC and promising I-League side NEROCA FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.
Kerala Blasters FC, who had gone all the way to the final last season in the Indian Super League had a disappointing time this around and only managed a sixth position finish. On the other hand, NEROCA FC, who were promoted to the top division this season, made an impressive debut finishing on the second spot.
Kerala Blasters FC scored early in the match when Pulga slotted in a penalty to give them the lead and Prasanth K added another goal early on in the second half.
NEROCA FC, however, did not give up and got three goals back sparking a stunning comeback. Jean Michael Joachim, Aryn Williams and Felix Chidi scored within twelve minutes to help the I-League side win 3-2 on the night and book their spot in the quarterfinals.
#1 Pulga gives Kerala an early lead
NEROCA FC began the game on a positive note looking good on the ball and taking the game to Kerala Blasters from the get-go.
Kerala had a couple of chances with Milan Singh and CK Vineeth coming close to scoring. However, the deadlock was broken after a defensive howler from veteran Indian defender Gourmangi Singh, who handled the ball inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot.
Victor Forcada, popularly known as 'Pulga' stepped up to take the spot-kick and did no mistake and opened the scoring for the South Indian side. The goal was followed by a celebration inspired by WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan - the 'YES' Chant.
#2 Kerala nullified the NEROCA attack in the first half with strong defence
NEROCA FC fielded a strong attacking lineup with the trio of Subhash Singh, Jean Michael Joachim and Felix Chidi all operating up front.
Kerala Blasters FC had their task cut out and played an organized backline with Wes Brown and Nemanja Lakic-Pesic as the centre-backs. Sandesh Jhingan played on the right flank and Lalruatthara made up the backline as the left-back.
The Kerala defence was very compact and did not allow the NEROCA FC attackers any space around the box. They won a lot of aerial duels and marked the attackers closely.
This organized approach employed by David James helped the ISL side out as they went into the first half with a 1-0 scoreline after Pulga's 10th-minute penalty goal.
#3 Prasanth K doubled the lead for the Blasters
The second half started for Kerala Blasters with a crucial change at the back as Sandesh Jhingan made way for Rino Anto, who slotted in at his preferred right-back position.
Just four minutes after the restart, Kerala Blasters scored their second goal as young winger Prasanth K tapped in from close range after a good passing move by the Kerala midfield. Izumi and Milan Singh exchanged passes in the midfield before Courage Pekuson took control of the ball in the box and put a ball across for Prasanth who was free to tap in at the far post.
The youngster Prasanth was a constant danger on the right flank for the Blasters making a lot of runs on the outside putting in good balls for Vineeth inside the box. Ten minutes after the second goal, Prasanth again came close to scoring when his shot rose high over the crossbar after an effort from the edge of the box.
#4 Jean Michael Joachim gets one back for NEROCA
Former Chennai City FC man Jean Michael Joachim pulled one back for NEROCA FC in the 70th minute of the match to cut Kerala Blasters' lead down to just one.
Joachim, who was making his debut for the Manipur club tonight after the I-League season with Chennai City capitalized on a rare Kerala defensive lapse to smash the ball into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
The goal sparked a ray of confidence in the NEROCA side as they played with more authority and launched a barrage of attacks on the Kerala goal. Joachim kept threatening the Kerala defence with his movement.
#5 Aryn Williams and Felix Chidi complete a stunning comeback
With Junior's goal in the 70th minute, NEROCA FC looked to turn over a new leaf as they started producing chances and threatened the Kerala goal with intent.
NEROCA's efforts paid dividends when Aryn Williams nodded a header past Paul Rachubka when he latched onto a diagonal cross into the box by Pritam Singh. The ball bounced once and beat the Englishman in the goal who had no chance of saving it, making it 2-2 on the night as Kerala lost the advantage.
Just two minutes later, NEROCA FC earned a golden opportunity to take the lead when a cross put in by Pritam Singh was handled by Wes Brown and the referee awarded a penalty to the I-League side.
Felix Chidi stepped up and finished a well-taken shot to the right side of the goal beating Rachubka to make it 3-2 for NEROCA FC as they came back from three goals down to lead within a space of twelve minutes.
