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Kerala Blasters FC hosted ISL newcomers Jamshedpur FC in their second home match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. The Blasters went into the game on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run at their home ground.
Kerala made one change to their lineup as Jackichand Singh made his way to the starting XI with Milan Singh being demoted to the bench. Jamshedpur FC's star performer on their ISL debut, Sameegh Doutie, started on the bench as former Kerala man Kervens Belfort replaced him for the Steelers.
Kerala began the game on an attacking front with a couple of good chances but Jamshedpur held on in the first half to keep them at bay as the half ended 0-0. The second half was pretty much along the same lines with the home side dominating proceedings and Jamshedpur sitting back and playing it safe. The match ended 0-0 as the Kerala Blasters continued their unbeaten run, extending it to eight in Kochi.
Here are the player ratings for the match!
Kerala Blasters FC
Paul Rachubka(8.5): The Kerala goalkeeper was brilliant between the posts and was forced to make a double save in the first half, thwarting off a strong free-kick from Memo and the rebound from Jerry. He ensured the clean-sheet with a fantastic 90th minute save from a Belfort header with a diving effort.
Rino Anto(7.5): Anto was very active on the right flank and made a number of overlapping runs whenever Kerala made a move forward. On the defensive front, he was up against the dynamic Belfort and managed to contain him for much of the duration of the match.
Sandesh Jhingan(7.5): Kerala skipper Jhinghan cut a usual stable figure in the defence as he made crucial interceptions and won almost all headers against Belfort. He played the ball out effectively from the back, helping the midfield to create attacking opportunities.
Nemanja Lakic Pesic(8): The Serbian played the perfect partner to Sandesh Jhingan in the centre of the Kerala defence with a strong presence and great on-the-ball ability. He made the most successful passes in the match.
Lalruatthara(7): The left-back was instrumental in the Kerala defence to keep the attacks ticking on the flank with Vineeth up ahead of him. Lalruatthara struggled with his crosses into the box but put up a strong defensive performance.
Izumi Arata(7): Arata, playing in a holding role, unlike his usual preferred attacking midfielder position, had a good showing on the night as he played the pivot between the Kerala defence and the attack. He has managed to adapt his game well to the new role assigned by Muelensteen.
Courage Pekuson(6.5): Ghanian Pekuson initially struggled to get going, missing out on link-up plays with Berbatov but slowly gathered his bearings as the game went on. He had a long-range effort from 25 yards that swerved just away from the Jamshedpur goal.
Jackichand Singh(7): The pacy Indian winger Jackichand was a livewire on the right flank with constant runs troubling the Jamshedpur defence. He justified his inclusion in the starting XI with a commendable performance.
Iain Hume(7): The all-time top scorer of ISL has been slotted in a new role this season with Berbatov's arrival and looked in a better touch after a poor outing in the first match against ATK.
CK Vineeth(7.5): Kerala-boy Vineeth was active in the first half but wasted a good chance, with a disappointing effort from an Iain Hume delivery. The second half was relatively quiet as he was kept quiet by the Jamshedpur defence.
Dimitar Berbatov(8): The Bulgarian marquee player operated in a more deeper role as he orchestrated Kerala's attacks but didn't receive the support up ahead as he needed. He had a good effort that was blocked by Subrata Paul in the JFC goal. Berbatov made a massive improvement after a poor show in the first game.
Substitutes:
Mark Sifneos(6): Sifneos came on for the industrial Hume and tried to get the attacks going in the last 20 minutes for the home side as they made an effort to grab the winner in the match.
Prasanth K(5.5): Prasanth was slotted on to the wings after coming on for Jackichand Singh and put in a couple of crosses for the attackers but the Jamshedpur defence was up to the task.
Milan Singh(5.5): Milan Singh came on in the last 10 minutes and didn't have enough time to get going in the game.
Jamshedpur FC
Subrata Paul(7): Spiderman Paul was called into action on a couple of occasions only but was up to the task keeping a half-volley effort from Berbatov away. The second half didn't bring much to do for the custodian as the JFC defence put up a strong front.
Souvik Chakraborty(6.5): The right-back for Jamshedpur was kept on his toes by the Kerala winger C.K Vineeth and Chakraborty managed to be up to the task, keeping Vineeth quiet in the second half.
Anas Edathodika(6.5): Anas had a busy night on the pitch having to keep the trio of Hume, Vineeth, and Berbatov at bay. Unfortunately, Anas went out with an injury in the second half in what looked a minor niggle.
José Luis Espinosa Arroyo (Tiri)(7): Tiri, along with Anas had an eventful outing as Kerala Blasters piled on the attacking pressure on the JFC goal. Tiri was a strong presence in the box with many clearances keeping the Jamshedpur clean sheet intact.
Shouvik Ghosh(6.5): Shouvik was constantly on the move as he had to deal with the likes of Jackichand and Rino Anto on the left flank for JFC. He was caught on many occasions with overlapping runs and would look to improve in the next game with better tracking.
Jerry Mawihmingthanga(6): The young Jerry seemed to struggle with the physicality of the Kerala defence throughout the game but had the best chance of the first half that was kept away by Rachubka. He was on set-piece duty for JFC and managed to deliver some decent balls for the attackers.
Emerson Gomes (Memo)(6): Memo was quiet for most of the duration of the match with the major highlight for the foreigner being the free-kick chance in the first half that was saved by Rachubka. He managed to connect well with the defensive line of JFC and moved the ball around to initiate attacks.
Mehtab Hossain(8): JFC skipper and midfield general Mehtab Hossain had a fine outing with his holding play as he had the marking duties for Berbatov. He kept the Bulgarian at bay with his constant pressure, even getting into scuffles with him. He was adjudged the 'Hero of the Match' for his performance.
Kervens Belfort(7.5): Whenever he was in possession of the ball on the left wing, JFC looked threatening on the counter-attack. Belfort was unlucky as Rachubka denied his headed effort at the death in what looked like a certain goal for Jamshedpur.
Izu Azuka(6): Nigerian Izu had a night to forget as he struggled to get going in the game despite having the duo of Trinidade and Belfort alongside him.
Matheus Trinidade(6.5): Brazilian youngster Trindade combined well with Belfort and used his speed and tenacity to trouble the home side's defence. The forward lacked with the finishing touch on occasions that the away side managed to have a shot at the Kerala goal.
Substitutes:
Farukh Choudhary(5.5): Mumbai-lad Farukh came on for Jerry and almost created an immediate impact with a shot that was saved by Rachubka. He made incisive runs into the Kerala box but didn't manage much success.
Bikash Jairu(5.5): Jairu was put on after the hour mark and handled the set-piece duty for the away side but with Kerala's dominance, struggled to find opportunities in the midfield.
Sameegh Doutie(6): Doutie, who was a livewire in the previous match, was surprisingly kept on the bench tonight by Coppell. The pacy winger put in the cross that was headed by Belfort that could have emerged as the winner.
