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Kerala Blasters faced off against NEROCA in their round of 16 tie in the Indian Super Cup, at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. It was a tie between teams who had the highest average attendance figures in their respective leagues.
Kerala Blasters made their intentions clear before the tie, that unlike other ISL teams, they were here to win the trophy which would also be their maiden trophy. NEROCA, on the other hand, wanted to continue their dream run in their maiden season in Indian top flight football.
The game started on a bright note for the Blasters as they went ahead in the 11th minute through via a Victor Pulga penalty.
NEROCA tried hard to get the equaliser in the first half, but, the Kerala defence held fort and stopped all that NEROCA had to offer. The first half ended with the scoreboard reading 1-0 in favour of the Blasters.
Kerala went two ahead in the second half, but then NEROCA scripted the best comebacks, as they scored two goals within a span of ten minutes, and then got the winning goal five minutes later, which eliminated Kerala Blasters from the tournament.
The final score of the night was Kerala Blasters 2-3 NEROCA.
On that note, lets take a look at the player ratings of today’s game
Kerala Blasters
Paul Rachubka (7/10): Paul Rachubka didn’t have much to do in the first half, but things changed drastically in the second half as he had to make some good saves to deny NEROCA from scoring. The save from a Varney Kallon header was really very good. Made two brilliant saves in the dying moments of the game to stop the scoreline from getting any bigger.
Lalruatthara (5.5/10): Lalruatthara had a good game for most parts of the game, and was effective in keeping Saran Singh quiet. He could have done better during the set-piece from which NEROCA scored. Was completely overrun by Pritam in the second half, and it looked like he had problems coping with the youngster's pace.
Sandesh Jhingan (6/10): Had to be substituted at halftime due to an injury, was effective in keeping the likes of Chidi and Joachim quiet in the first half. Made two crucial last-ditch tackles to deny NEROCA a clear-cut chance.
Lakic Pesic (6/10): Pesic kept Chidi quiet for most of the game. He also had a big role to play during set pieces. His positioning was really good today, and managed to execute the offside trap to perfection. Went to sleep in the last 30 minutes which prompted NEROCA to execute the perfect comeback.
Wesley Brown (6.5/10): Had a big presence in defence for Kerala Blasters, made a couple of crucial clearance and tackles. He also looked to provide some good long balls to his strikers. It was his handball that awarded NEROCA the penalty which helped them take the lead.
Arata Izumi (6/10): Arata didn’t have the best of ISL seasons but, he looks to have buried the ghosts of his ISL performance and put in an industrious shift in the middle of the park. Arata was also playing against his ex-team and, like most had a good performance against his previous employers. He won a lot of balls in midfield and managed to create a lot of chances. He was overrun in midfield after NEROCA scored in the second half.
Milan Singh (6.5/10): The Manipuri midfielder who was up against a team from his home state had a good game. He had one free-kick which went agonisingly wide, it was also his cross that resulted in the penalty that Blasters won. With Arata marshaling the midfield, Milan ventured forward more often and had a couple of chances to score. Lost his way in the game after NEROCA scored their opening goal which resulted in NEROCA having more possession.
Victor Pulga (7/10): Pulga made no mistakes from 12 yards out to convert the penalty to open the scoring for Kerala Blasters. He was the main architect of the second goal that Kerala scored, as his backheel pass to Courage Pekuson, split open the NEROCA defence. He also won a lot of balls in midfield. Slipped into hibernation after Kerala scored the second goal, and was rarely seen in the later stages of the game.
Courage Pekuson (7/10): Pekuson made a gem of a cross to Prasanth, which resulted in the second goal Kerala scored. Was a menace for NEROCA as his runs down the flanks often created a lot of problems for NEROCA.
Prasanth Karuthadathkuni (7/10): The youngster hit the post from a curling effort in the first half, did get his name on the scoresheet in the second half as he made no mistakes putting in a Pekuson cross. Looked lively down the right flank for Kerala and was very dangerous on the counter. Was not seen in action for the final thirty minutes and didn’t track back properly to help out his defenders.
C.K. Vineeth (6/10): Hassled and harried the NEROCA defenders and didn’t give a moments peace to the defenders. The way he changed positions with Prasanth was really praiseworthy.
Substitutes:
Rino Anto (4.5/10): Anto came on in the second half for the injured Sandesh Jhingan, and had a few problems coping up with Subash’s pace. Was at fault for not checking Aryn Williams runs which resulted in NEROCA’s equalising goal.
Deependra Negi (4/10): The youngster couldn’t do much in the game, as most of the time he was back defending or trying to win the ball back. Committed some unwanted fouls inside his own half.
Loken Meitei (N/A): Was brought on very late by David James and hardly had a touch of the ball.Maybe he could have had an effect had he been bough on earlier.
NEROCA
Lalit Thapa (6/10): Lalit was beaten twice, but there wasn’t much he could do about those goals. He didn’t have to do too much. Most of the saves he made were regular saves.
Varney Kallon (6.5/10): He had a shaky first half, and looked to have problems keeping the likes of Prasanth and Vineeth in check. Found his footing after Kerala went two ahead, and look solid in the later stages of the game.
Govin Singh (4.5/10): Had more than a few problems in keeping Pekuson in check. He seemed to be outdone by the pace of the Blasters wingers and was rightly substituted in the second half.
Gouramangi Singh (6/10): The former Indian International was guilty of handling the ball inside the penalty box, which awarded Kerala the penalty. Had a below-par first half, but grew in stature as the game progressed and looked solid in the closing stages of the game.
Ngasepam Tondonba (6.5/10): The young left back had more than a few problems for sixty minutes from Prasanth, but completely turned the tables in the final thirty minutes. Did venture forward at instances and helped out Subash in attack.
Aryn Glen Williams (8/10): The Aussie was seen chasing shadows in the first half, but was a completely different version in the second half. Scored the all-important equalising goal and was instrumental in scripting the late dramatic comeback.
Jean Joachim (9/10): Was a dream game for him, as he scored one, and was instrumental in getting the penalty. The goal he scored was a very good goal as he managed to get past Ruatthara and slot it past Paul with a powerful finish.
Fabian Vorbe (6.5/10): Vorbe had a subdued game in all aspects, he couldn’t do much in the first sixty minutes, was a bit more effective in the final few minutes when NEROCA had the upper hand.
Saran Singh (5/10): Saran failed to impress today. He couldn’t do anything meaningful during his time on the pitch, as he failed to beat Ruatthara, and get his crosses into the box.
Singam Subash Singh (6.5/10): Had Wes Brown marking him closely during the game, which forced the Manipuri striker to drop deep in search of the ball. Was a crucial factor in helping NEROCA comeback from 2 goals down, as his runs down the right flank in the second half stretched the Kerala defence which created an opening for NEROCA strikers
Felix Chidi (8/10): The highest goal scorer for NEROCA had a night to remember as he scored the all-important winning goal with a penalty. Was rarely seen in the first half, but had a brilliant second half as his link up with Subhas and Junior improved which helped NEROCA get back into the game.
Substitutes
Pritam Singh (8.5/10): A lot has been said about Gift Raikhan’s substitutes and his uncanny ability to change games through them, and it was on show again today as the introduction of Pritam in place of Saran Singh changed the whole dimension of the game.The young Manipuri winger ran riot down the right flank and schooled Ruatthara. He provided the all-important cross for the equalising goal.
Ashok Singh (8/10): Govin Singh was having a poor game, and Gift bought on Ashok in place of him the change paid dividends almost immediately as his partnership with Pritam in the right side completely outfoxed the Kerala team.
Ronald Singh (7/10): Was introduced late into the game to kill the clock, and he did a brilliant job in keeping the ball in NEROCA possession, he almost scored with a good effort which was deflected for a corner by Paul.
