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Just like the earlier game today, it was the lower-placed team that emerged victorious in Sunday's second ISL match. Kerala Blasters continued their resurgence under new head coach David James as they edged Mumbai City FC to emerge 1-0 winners with Iain Hume scoring once again.
#1 5-point guide to a refereeing blunder
Unless you have been hiding under a rock at the bottom of the ocean, you're probably well aware of the growing tide of concern over the officiating in this season's ISL.
We have had a fair few share of decisions ranging from questionable to bizarre to downright shocking. Pranjal Banerjee probably takes the cake though for the biggest gaffe of the season for his decision today because he messed up five times in a single call.
So this is what happened: The Blasters were awarded a free-kick a little away from Mumbai's box (the only thing the ref got right here). After that Mr. Banerjee proceeded to:
1) Allow the free-kick to be taken about 10 yards ahead of where it was awarded
2) Allow the free-kick to be taken while the ball was still rolling (free-kicks require the ball to be stationary last we checked).
3) Waive off attempts made by Mumbai players to bring this to his attention.
4) Let Iain Hume off the hook for being off-side when the ball was played to him by Courage Pekuson.
5) Not consult the linesman (who was equally culpable here for not raising his flag) at all to verify if Hume was indeed offside.
Hume made no mistake with the finish and it was 1-0 to the Blasters.
Whichever way you slice this, it's not a good look for Mr. Banerjee.
#2 Rino's injury struggles continue, but Vineeth returns
It has been a stop-start season for Kerala's Rino Anto with injuries affecting the right-back's performances and time on the pitch.
He had just come back from an hamstring injury which kept him out for a few games and today he went down again during the match in the 54th minute clutching the same area. Another muscular injury looks set to sideline Anto yet again. One only hopes that he is able to get fit enough to feature regularly for his side for the rest of the season.
While one Kerala man went down with injury and had to be taken off, another key player made his return.
CK Vineeth has not featured for the Blasters since scoring a dramatic last-minute equaliser away against Chennaiyin FC last month. But he came on at half-time here for Mark Sifneos in what will surely be a welcome sight for both Blasters fans as well as Indian football fans.
He is very good at propping up in the box to finish off even half-chances and with the Blasters adopting a rather safety-first approach under James, his return boosts the attacking ranks for Kerala as James opts to play two men up front.
#3 Mumbai try and try, but can't break down the yellow wall
This wasn't one of the most open games, but Mumbai City did fashion enough openings to have scored at least once. But they found the Blasters a hard nut to crack.
Subhasish Roy didn't have much to do, but did well when called upon between the sticks. Lalruatthara made a crucial intervention to keep out a goal-bound effort from Balwant Singh in the early minutes of the second half. The Blasters threw their bodies around when needed to prevent Mumbai City from getting anything late in the game.
Substitute Leo Costa had one final chance right at the death, but his effort hit the post and went out for a goal-kick. The result means Mumbai stay in fifth and are now only two points ahead of ATK while allowing the Blasters to pull level with them on 14 points.
#4 Backs-to-the-wall job sees the Blasters win two in a row
The Blasters are unbeaten since Rene Meulensteen parted ways and David James was appointed the coach.
It does not necessarily have anything to do with a significant uptick in their performances, but what James has managed to do is have them well organised so that they are difficult to breakdown. The Kerala side get bodies behind the ball and look to get a goal on the counter - Tactics that helped James and the Blasters reach the semis in season one. It's Hume at the head of the attack again!
Today was yet another rearguard effort from the Blasters as yellow shirts dotted the box and the area around every time Mumbai City tried to launch an attack. The fact that they scored first also played to their advantage as they were able to sit back and force Mumbai to take the game to them, thus leaving holes that the Blasters could exploit on the break.
#5 Blasters make history as the race for the top four intensifies
The Kerala Blasters with this win registered back-to-back away victories for the first time ever in their ISL history.
It is a significant achievement considering that they have never managed it in three seasons before this, especially since they've made the final in two of them.
What it also does is take them to 14 points and level with Mumbai City and they are just two points behind FC Goa and FC Pune City in front of them, albeit Goa have a game in hand.
The early front-runners have not been able to pull away at the top and the Blasters after having looked well off the pace early this season are back in with a reasonable shout of making the playoffs with eight games still to come. ATK and Jamshedpur FC are not too far behind either setting things up nicely for a very interesting finish to this season's league phase.
