Kerala Blasters FC vs Jamshedpur FC: Who won yesterday's match?

Kerala Blasters FC had to settle for a disappointing 0-0 draw against Jamshedpur FC in the 73rd match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) Season at the GMC Bambolim Stadium in Goa.

Jamshedpur FC were quite fortunate on the night as they survived plenty of chances and even what should have been a legitimate goal for Gary Hooper.

After a quiet start, Albino Gomes almost made a costly mistake in the 7th minute when his poor clearance from outside the box fell for Nerijus Valskis.

The Jamshedpur FC skipper Valksis took a few touches before releasing his shot but Albino had gone back by then to come up with a diving save. The ball deflected off him and hit the post before Kerala Blasters FC could breathe easy.

Kerala Blasters FC slowly came into the match with Jordan Murray forcing TP Rehenesh to come up with a decent save to stop a cross into the middle.

However, just before the cooling break, the Yellow Army were lucky that they didn’t go behind as Valskis slipped inside the box after Aitor Monroy found him with a delightful chipped pass.

As the half neared its end, Kerala Blasters FC went up a gear or two.

Gary Hooper seemed to have broken his goal drought in the 35th minute but the linesman raised his flag for off-side. The Englishman then came up with a cracking shot from distance that hit the post and went inside the line but the goal wasn’t awarded.

The action became frenetic as Murray struck the crossbar with his header after Sandeep Singh delivered a quality cross to the far post.

Just a minute later, Puitea threaded a fantastic through ball behind the Jamshedpur FC defense but Murray could only find the side netting.

Apart from inefficient finishing, luck was not on Kerala Blasters FC’s side. Puitea struck the crossbar after Murray’s free header from a Sandeep Singh cross was pushed away by TP Rehenesh.

Even in the second half, Kerala Blasters FC and Murray couldn’t find the back of the net.

Murray’s shot from the edge of the box went just high.

In the 56th minute, Alex Lima headed a ball into Nick Fitzgerald’s path but the Aussie couldn’t come up with a strong enough shot to beat Albino Gomes.

After the hour mark, Puitea came up with a couple of inviting crosses but both Hooper and Murray failed to test TP Rehenesh.

Kerala Blasters FC continued to be on the offense with the impressive Puitea doing superb work on the right flank. However, Murray found the side netting once again.

At the same time, a lot of Jamshedpur FC players looked off the pace and frustrated as they failed to find the quality in the final third.

They could have very well gone 0-1 down in the 89th minute but Narender Gahlot came up with a crucial block to restrict Seityasen Singh’s shot.

The substitute Seityasen received a nice ball from Sahal Abdul Samad but the time taken to have a touch before going for the shot allowed Narender to step in.

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ISL 2020-21, KBFC vs JFC: Who was the Hero of the Match?

Sahal Abdul Samad (left) has produced a good work-rate for Kerala Blasters FC this season (Courtesy: ISL)

Kerala Blasters FC’s fan-favourite Sahal Abdul Samad was named as the ‘Hero of the Match’ for his hard-working performance on the night.

Considered as a luxury player before this season, Sahal has shown marked improvement in his pressing and tracking back to help the full-backs defensively.

Playing on the wings generally, the midfielder has not been able to come up with goals and assists but he has been an integral member of Kibu Vicuna’s side recently.

Against Jamshedpur FC, the 23-year-old topped the charts in terms of sprints while he also came up with three tackles and one clearance.