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Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United FC played out a scrappy 2-2 stalemate at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Thursday. The Blasters began the game the brighter of the two sides and much like the contest against ATK Mohun Bagan, stamped their passing identity on the encounter early.
In fact, the Kerala Blasters made their initial advantage count in the 5th minute when Sergio Cidoncha rose highest to nod home Seityasen Singh’s inch-perfect free-kick from the right flank.
The Kerala Blasters continued pushing and probing through the rest of the first half, although they had to overcome some resistance from NorthEast United FC, who started establishing a foothold in the match. However, another moment of defensive negligence from the Highlanders in first-half stoppage time accorded Kerala Blasters the chance to double their advantage from the spot.
Gary Hooper stepped up and rippled the net to ensure that the Kerala Blasters went into the break with a comfortable two-goal cushion.
After the restart, NorthEast United FC looked reinvigorated and increased the tempo of their passing. In the 51st minute, the Highlanders were handed a way back into the match when the Kerala Blasters defenders stood rooted to their spots from a corner. Kwesi Appiah capitalized and stabbed the ball into the roof of the net.
Fifteen minutes later, the striker had a chance to restore parity after Jessel Carneiro conceded a needless penalty, owing to a foul on Apuia. However, rather uncharacteristically, Kwesi Appiah blazed his spot-kick over the bar.
NorthEast United FC tried to press the issue in the final quarter of the game and were rewarded right at the death when Idrissa Sylla turned his marker and rifled the ball into the back of the net, albeit via a slight deflection.
The result meant that NorthEast United FC perched themselves at the top of the ISL table, whereas the Kerala Blasters collected their first points of the new season.
Kerala Blasters surge ahead in an impressive first half display
For much of the game against ATK Mohun Bagan, Kerala Blasters kept possession well and moved the ball around from side to side. Unfortunately for them though, they couldn’t marry it with an end product, meaning that ATK Mohun Bagan rode out the storm and emerged victorious.
However, against NorthEast United FC, there seemed to be an increased urgency in the Kerala Blasters’ build-up play and that was showcased in abundance during the opening 45 minutes.
The free-kick that led to the goal was won high up the pitch after some clever work by their midfielders while the penalty in first half stoppage time was a result of incessant pressure.
Additionally, Sergio Cidoncha seemed to have much more freedom going forward as he got into promising attacking situations and ensured that Gary Hooper wasn’t as isolated. Apart from the Spaniard, the presence of Nishu Kumar on the right flank enabled the Kerala Blasters to stretch the game and drag the NorthEast United FC players into uncomfortable positions.
In fact, had Kerala Blasters been a little more clinical in front of goal, they might have gone into the break with a greater lead.
A tale of two contentious decisions
Despite the ISL scaling an upward trajectory since its inception, one facet that has always been under the scanner has been the quality of refereeing. Prior to Thursday, there hadn’t been many questionable calls but at the GMC Stadium, there were plenty of those, including two penalty decisions.
The first came about in first-half stoppage time when Rakesh Pradhan was harshly punished for what looked a clean challenge. Though one can’t deny the fact that he lunged into his tackle, he certainly got the ball before the man, meaning that a penalty should not have been awarded.
Post the restart, the referee had another howler when he somehow decided to not penalize Costa Nhamoinesu for lifting his foot close to Federico Gallego’s face. Instead, the official awarded a foul against the Uruguayan.
And, had both decisions gone the right way, maybe the outcome of the game could’ve been different.
Kerala Blasters’ defensive lapses refuse to go away
During the 2019-20 ISL season, Kerala Blasters had the third worst defensive record as they shipped in 32 goals in 18 matches, which roughly amounts to more than a goal and a half per game. And, defensive lapses were quite a common thread. Unfortunately for them, that pattern continued against NorthEast United FC on Thursday.
The first goal came about after some slack defending, wherein the ball bounced in the six-yard box twice, before eventually being bundled over the line by Kwesi Appiah.
In fact, had the striker not been as wasteful from the penalty spot, the Kerala Blasters would’ve been dented further, with Jessel Carneiro producing a daft moment of defending to hand the Highlanders a lifeline.
Furthermore, as NorthEast United FC started amping up the pressure towards the end of the game, the Kerala Blasters defence looked at sixes and sevens, especially when asked to deal with the threat of Idrissa Sylla.
For a major chunk of the previous ISL campaign, Eelco Schattorie faced questions about the defensive frailties that existed in the Kerala Blasters’ ranks.
And, if early season form is indicator, one reckons that Kibu Vicuna might have his fair share to answer as well.
NorthEast United FC somehow rescue a point
For large swathes of the encounter against Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United FC tried immensely hard to shoot themselves in the foot. In the opening five minutes, their set-piece marking was all over the shop as Sergio Cidoncha towered above the Highlanders' rear-guard and nodded the ball home.
After the half-time whistle, the Highlanders contrived to miss a penalty when Kwesi Appiah booted the ball into the clear Goan skies, whereas Britto PM spurned another opportunity as the clocked ticked over to the 89-minute mark.
Additionally, there were several other situations where NorthEast United FC could have tightened the screws but failed to do so, with the sluggishness of their first-half passing and movement highlighting that aspect.
Yet, football is a funny game and despite the string of mistakes NorthEast United FC made, they somehow managed to escape with a point. And, as the season progresses, the Highlanders might start realizing the importance of a point won, when trailing by a couple of goals and more importantly, when not playing well.
