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Kerala Blasters dug deep and eventually secured all 3 points against Delhi Dynamos in Saturday's ISL encounter. 19-year-old Deependra Negi made his ISL debut for Kerala tonight and put in a performance that he will remember for life.
The substitute scored the equaliser and won the all-important penalty that Ian Hume buried. Here are the major talking points from tonight's exciting clash.
#1 Lallianzuala Chhangte hounds Kerala's back line
From minute one, Lallianzuala Chhangte was snapping at the heels of every single Kerala Blasters defender. His energy was infectious as he went about high pressing and caused a number of problems in the final third.
The diminutive forward was always eager to chase down a loose ball and looked intent on creating something out of nothing. The likes of Sandesh Jhingan, Wes Brown and Milan Singh had to be extremely alert when they had the ball. On numerous occasions, Chhangte harried them off possession and released his teammates.
Delhi's wing man was hyperactive tonight and looked like a man on a mission. Realising Kerala's hesitancy in playing the ball out of their own half, he constantly looked to catch the hosts off guard.
#2 Kerala find it difficult to hold on to the ball
Tonight, Delhi Dynamos played with a sense of abandonment and Kerala Blasters didn't like it one bit. The visitors had nothing to lose and they played like a team under no pressure whatsoever.
With Kerala virtually needing to win all of their remaining six matches for a playoff spot, they were extremely nervous and tentative on and off the ball. The visitors had 63% ball possession in the first half and dominated proceedings.
Kerala not only looked vulnerable at the back but were also in-adept in attack. The likes of CK Vineeth, Ian Hume and Karan Sahwney could not forge any kind of partnership. Their attempt to play on the counter was easily thwarted by Delhi in the first half.
#3 Delhi use the wings to good effect
Kerala's full backs, Lalruatthara and Milan Singh had an extremely busy night. On multiple occasions, they were double teamed. With Delhi deciding to orchestrate every single of their attacks from the wings, the home side found it difficult to put a check on this.
Every time the visitors had the ball, they spread it to the far side without thinking twice. The trio of Seityasen Singh, Romeo Fernandes and Lallianzuala Chhangte caused considerable damage, hugging the touchline all night long.
Their goal (penalty by Kalu Unche) was the result of a well-worked move from the wings. After a couple of clever passes, Seityasen got into a dangerous position inside the box. New boy, Prasanth K couldn't help himself and tackled Seityasen from the wrong side. Delhi used the wings to great effect and were duly rewarded.
#4 19-year old Deependra Negi scores with his first touch
Playing in his first ever ISL game, 19-year-old, Deependra Negi came on as a second half substitute for Kerala with his side trailing 0-1. The situation was tense and the Blasters were desperate for an equaliser.
Up stepped the debutant. The home side won a corner early in the second half and as fate would have it, Negi peeled off from his marker and powerfully stabbed the ball into the back of the net much to the surprise of his own teammates.
This is a goal that he will remember for the rest of his life. It also gave him immense confidence as he continued to play some slick passes throughout the rest of the game. He was also instrumental in Kerala's second, as he won the penalty late on.
#5 Kerala Blasters live on to tell their tale
It wasn't pretty, far from it but Kerala Blasters huffed and puffed their way to a vital win against Delhi on Saturday. Having gone down in the first half, the home side put in a mammoth effort in the second and secured three crucial points.
This win takes them to fifth position on the points table, they now have 17 points, one more than Jamshedpur FC who have a game in hand. With five games remaining, Kerala will be required to win every single game to have a clear-cut chance of a play off spot.
It's only going to get tougher from here on but the Blasters will be full of confidence after tonight's win. Winning such tight games always boosts the morale of the entire squad. They will need to be much better when they visit the formidable FC Pune City on February 2.
