ISL 2018-19 Live | Kerala Blasters FC v Delhi Dynamos FC

Kerala Blasters FC eye first home win, against Delhi Dynamos, in the ISL 2018-19.

CK Vineeth of Kerala Blasters (centre) celebrates after scoring against Delhi Dynamos in Kochi (Image: ISL)

Well, a rather disappointing end to that fixture for Kerala Blasters as they share points with Delhi Dynamos and are still looking for their first win at home this ISL.
They were almost there. CK Vineeth provided them the lead in the 48th minute with a clean finish from inside the box.
Until the very end, it appeared the hosts would secure the three points from the game but Andrija Kaluderovic, who had a poor shots record leading up to this game, fired home a header in the 84th minute to shock the home crowd.
The hosts had five minutes of extra time and were denied a penalty in the final moments as Dynamos captain Pritam Kotal stomped on Vineeth with a rash sliding tackle inside the box.
Referee Tejas Nagvenkar was not interested and Dynamos ran down the clock to snatch a point from the game.
Thank you for staying with us through this game. We'll have more coverage from this match out soon on sportskeeda.com. Stay tuned!

90+6' PEEEEEEEP! PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!
FT at Kochi here after one extra minute of added time and nobody looks happy. CK Vineeth just blinks on and the crowd is silently, possibly angry even that two points were stolen from their grasp.

90+5' Narayan Das and Slaviša Stojanović both go for the aerial ball and their heads clash. Both receive treatment and the seconds are running out for Blasters to possibly get a winner here.

90+2' WHAT?! HOW'S THAT NOT A PENALTY?
CK Vineeth beats Dynamos captain Pritam Kotal with his pace on the left and rushes to the touchline hoping to make a pass inwards -- but he's brought down by an outstretched Kotal, who clips the shin pad of Vineeth rather than the ball.
Referee's hand is pointed out but not at the spot -- it's a goal-kick. Bleh!
This decision will definitely be talked about after the game.

90' FLAGGED OFF!
Dynamos' substitute Carmona on the far side and he gains possession and goes to shooooo-------oh! The flag is up. PHEW!

89' Another defender has a cramp and the gaffer immediately pulls him out.
OFF - Rana Gharami (26)
ON - Mohammad Dhot (3)

84' NOOOOOOOO! THAT'S CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!
Sandesh Jhingan is down with a cramp and Dynamos have a corner. But the play doesn't stop and the Blasters' defenders are running around the Dynamos players.
And suddenly, there's a cross in from Pritam Kotal on the right and Andrija Kaluderovic glances it into the goal to score the equaliser.

83' Dorronsoro is hoping to take off his gloves and play as a midfielder as he rushes out to ward off a threat, wins the ball over Stojanovic. keeps on moving with the ball until another Blasters' defender asks for it.

80' Keepin' up.
Dynamos goalkeeper Dorronsoro is on the right flank and he's dribbling the ball, waiting for the Blasters attackers to approach him.
And when they do, he clears it out for a throw and the hosts are happy with the seconds wasted before they arrive for the throw.

78' Final change for Kerala. Blasters have five foreigners on the pitch now.
OFF - Seiminlen Doungel (9)
ON - Keziron Kizito (17)

73' Like a Dynamite!
Mihelic fires a powerful low shot from the left, forcing Naveen Kumar to make a save. The ball flows out unperturbed but Carmona disturbs it with a long-ranger from the outside the box, which goes over the bar.
Andrija Kaluderovic then slips one ball, hoping to find Mihelic but Naveen is there to pocket it safely.

71' All about the impact.
Carmona has just come on for Delhi and he makes his presence felt with a couple of shots that's keeping the Blasters defenders busy. Dynamos need more of this if they want to find an equaliser here.

69' Kerala react by bringing in one youngster for another.
OFF - Sahal Samad (18)
ON - Prasanth K (11)

65' Here's the second change for Delhi.
OFF - Gianni Zuiverloon (51)
ON - Adria Carmona (11)

65' Double change for Delhi. Romeo and Zuiverloon out for fresh players.
OFF - Romeo Fernandes (19)
ON - Bikramjit Singh (6)

64' CORNERED!
Stojanovic leads a counter and Vineeth is to his left making a run.
The Slovenian prods the ball through to the Kerala striker, who zooms in quickly and goes for the shot, but it's blocked and deflected out for a corner.

59' UP AND OUT!
Samad has a go at the goal and it's a great shot from the local lad.
He powers into the goal from 35 yards out but the ball goes wide.

58' You Push Me and I Slap You.
Sounds like the next Hollywood teen mystery-killer movie but no. They are actually scenes from Kochi as Dynamos' Crespi and Blasters' Stojanovic are involved in a bit of a scuffle next to the goal.
Crespi shields the ball and use his arm to leave no room for Stojanovic, who responds with a slap on the other cheek of the Spaniard defender.
Referee breaks the two apart and warns them. No card.

56' GOOOO------ING OUT!
Seiminlen Doungel goes for goal from the edge of the box and it's a decent effort from the former NorthEast United winger. He drives across for space and curls it into the near post but it flows wide.

53' A different kind of impact.
Matej Poplatnik was sent in by Kerala coach David James to inspire the strike force.
And even though the Slovenian was nowhere involved in the goal, it did give Blasters that extra push to venture up the field and prod the keeper.
The result - two corners and Vineeth's goal on his first start for Blasters this season.

48' GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!
Vinny, Vinny, Vinny! OH CK Vinny!
That goal is the result of some poor defending by Delhi Dynamos after staying strong for so long.
Blasters win back-to-back corners - their first of the game.
And Dynamos are unable to clear the second one. A couple of half-clearances later, Stojanovic tries to get a shot in, which is blocked again.
The defenders stand still, hoping someone would get rid of the ball and it proceeds near Vineeth at the centre of the box.
Vineeth just drops and pokes the ball goal-wards to break the deadlock.
And the crowd goes wild!

46' About time!
So an Indian comes off for a foreigner for Kerala Blasters. And that's David James reacting to his team not being able to break the deadlock in Kochi.
OFF - Halicharan Narzary (19)
ON - Matej Poplatnik (10)

Half time at Kochi and it's goalless so far even though both sides had their chances.
Well, there's the beautiful CK Vineeth touch to bring down the ball but the effort is wide.
Moments later, the ball lands at Stojanović on the right but he only manages the side-netting.
Stojanovic also pokes Dynamos keeper Dorronsoro with a neat effort from outside the box.
And all that is Kerala Blasters.
Dynamos could have gone ahead if not for the mindless effort by Zuiverloon and they will have to be better in firing those set-piece deliveries into the box.
Second half seems promising - any of these teams could take the lead.
And that's exactly what each of the managers would be saying to their players right - go out and get the win, guys!
Second half next up!

45' JUST WIDE!
Crespi, who hangs around the Kerala Blasters box after a free-kick, is picked by a wonderful cross from the right by Pritam Kotal.
The defender shrugs off the defender and gets a header in, but the attempt flows out of the right post.

41' Around the moon by Gianni Zuiverloon
Mihelic picks out Romeo, who makes a great run on the right and stays onside.
He keeps his composure, looks up and greets the rushing teammate Zuiverloon with an accurate ball into the centre of the box.
Sandesh Jhingan slides through the turf mindlessly and a distracted Zuiverloon shoots wide when the goal was right in front of him.
Probably the best chance of the half for both sides and it is wasted.

36' INTO THE SIDENETTING!
Vineeth is at the centre of the action again as he aimlessly miscues an effort from the box.
The ball then rolls towards Stejanovic on the right of the box and he is free and has yards of space in front of him.
Yet, all he could do is caress the sidenetting.

33' The hosts, Kerala, patiently build a move using their centre-backs as well as the goalkeeper.
Krčmarević then flows it through the defenders to the far side, where Vineeth is making a run.
Vineeth chests down the ball and pushes forward.
And as the Dynamos defenders catch up, he drafts it along with his left foot and shoots wide.

28' Naveen spills it!
And Dynamos almost breach the Blasters' defence!
CK Vineeth drags it out for a corner and Narayan Das curls it into the goal from the flag.
What's supposed to be a routine catch for Naveen Kumar ends up giving the Blasters defence some tense moments as he lets it slip right in front of him. Andrija gets a shot in but it's going over the frame and Naveen punches it down and whips it off to breathe easy.
Vineeth then leads the counter attack and they reach as far as the Dynamos box before it's plugged away.

24' What appears to be a hand-ball is not given in favour of Delhi Dynamos at the Kerala Blasters penalty box.
Lalruatthara ducks low, well actually he goes to the ground after losing his footing, to make a clearance. The header bounces right in front of him and he slightly nudges it ahead with his right arm while going to the ground involuntarily. Dynamos don't appeal and the show goes on.

22' GLOVE WORKS!
Stojanovic is close to breaking the deadlock as he receives a ball from Sahal, turns sideways for space and then fires one into the bottom-left corner.
It's definitely on its way in but Francisco Dorronsoro stretches out to push it aside and then gets up to tidy up the save as well.
Better from Kerala.

17' One flew over the goalkeeper's nest.
Foul by Vinit Rai on Stojanovic and Blasters quickly restart with a short pass.
Halicharan Narzary then goes for goal from 40 yards out with a powerful left-footer, which goes above the bar.

15' Two back-to-back corners for Delhi Dynamos.
Rihelic delivers the same ball again - a low-lying curler - which is easily brushed aside by Kerala Blasters.
The second one is better - it drops at the centre and is collected by Blasters' goalkeeper Naveen Kumar.

11' Jhingan stays strong.
Chhangte tricks past Mohammad Rakip and comes up against the Kerala Blasters captain Jhingan again, who shields the ball and lets the ball out for a goal-kick. Seconds later, he clears away the danger from a cross.

8' Chhangte again. He's making the runs down the left flank, being a constant threat to the Kerala Blasters defenders. Most of the action is actually restricted to the left side with Chhangte and left-back Narayan Das pushing up. Dynamos finally use the other flank now to try and breach the adamant backline of Blasters.

4' Young Chhangte challenges Kerala Blasters' captain Sandesh Jhingan inside the Kerala box and wins a corner. Rene Mihelic fires it into the near post - a very flat ball - and it's back-heeled out by Chhangte himself for a goal-kick.
Mihelic needs to provide a better delivery, kind of like those DHL ads they air during the telecast of the ISL games.

1' We're offfffffffff!
And it's time we finally get some football too.
Anyway, Kerala with the initial moments of possession. Passing, just passing. Pass it back and oh, Delhi clear it.

Kerala Blasters with their best start of the ISL - 4 points from two games. Delhi Dynamos with their worst start in history - just 1 point from two games. And both these will lock horns in Kochi for the full three points in a few moments. PEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Local flavour.
David James hands local striker CK Vineeth the first start of the season. Will the Kerala lad make an impact against Dynamos? The forward is known to turn up at the right place at the right time and will be a handful for the Delhi Dynamos defenders.
Indian National Anthem up next...

Few more minutes left for the kick off and the excitement is building up at the JN Stadium in Kochi!
Warm-ups done, drills done, players head back into the dressing room for a round of pep talk from their gaffers and well obviously, changing into their jerseys.
Crowd numbers are growing in the stands despite the downpour and the atmosphere here promises to be nothing but electric!
As always, might I add.

Captain confident.
Sandesh Jhingan, the Kerala Blasters skipper, says the team will look to carry the confidence from the build up of the game onto the pitch.
"To concede so late in the game (against Mumbai City) is hard to digest," the centre-back said. "But we have been on the side of scoring late as well. We can't change the result so we'll just get over it. We have another game up and we'll get three points from it.
"The confidence is high. The team's been training well. The team is waiting to go into the match and let's see if we can carry this confidence in the match."

The gaffer has his say.
David James, the Kerala Blasters manager, says the 1-1 draw with Mumbai City FC in their previous ISL encounter felt like a loss. And he says Blasters will go all out to secure their first home win of the season.
“Yes, it was like losing, when you’re winning and looking like you’re going to win and someone scores. It was a wonder goal (from Pranjal Bhumij). Yeah, it was like a defeat. It was frustrating. But, we have to analyse the game objectively and not subjectively. And then look forward to the next match against Delhi with our strengths against their weaknesses,” James said.

Firing blanks.
Delhi Dynamos have the worst shot accuracy in the tournament - 25 per cent. As for Kerala, two of their three goals scored so far have come from counter-attacks.

Kerala have let 18 shots reach the goal frame, but only eight of them have been on target.
Sandesh Jhingan and Nemanja Lakic-Pesic have been the best defence combination so far - they have made 17 and 16 clearances respectively.

Surprise surprise! Goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh has been benched, probably because of the aerial threat posed by Delhi Dynamos' Andrija Kaludjerovic. Although the Dynamos striker is not enjoying the best of forms, he'll be looking to snap his poor record up front.
Matej Poplatnik has also been benched and Kerala have only three - out of the permitted five - foreigners in their Playing XI.
Interesting, interesting!

Delhi next. They too have made a couple of changes with Romeo Fernandes and Gianni Zuiverloon being offered a start.

Delhi Dynamos Starting XI:
Francisco Dorronsoro (GK)
Pritam Kotal, Gianni Zuiverloon, Marti Crespi, Narayan Das, Rana Gharami
Vinit Rai, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rene Mihelic, Romeo Fernandes
Andrija Kaludjerovic

Substitutes: Albino Gomes (GK), Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Shubham Sarangi, Nandhakumar Sekar, Bikramjit Singh, Adria Carmona, Mohammad Dhot

Line-ups are out!
Okay so here's Blasters first. And a couple of the choices are indeed surprising.
Kerala Blasters Starting XI:
Naveen Kumar (GK)
Sandesh Jhingan, Mohammad Rakip, Nemanja Lakic-Pesic, Lalruattara
Nikola Krcmarevic, Sahal Abdul Samad, Halicharan Narzary, Seiminlen Doungel
CK Vineeth, Slavisla Stojanovic

Substitutes: Dheeraj Singh (GK), Cyril Kali, Pritam Singh, Keziron Kizito, Prasanth K, Zakeer Mundampara, Matej Poplatnik

Hello. Welcome to Sportskeeda's Live coverage of the ISL game between Kerala Blasters and Delhi Dynamos in Kochi. This is Aravind Suchindran and I'll provide you updates from this exciting encounter.
We're still more than an hour away from kick off but don't go anywhere - we'll soon have the line-ups out.

Delhi Dynamos have a lot of youngsters in their squad, a hope for the future. The likes of Nandhakumar S and Lallianzuala Chhangte getting game time bodes really well for the team's future. In the ISL last season, Chhangte scored three goals and provided three assists in 18 matches, while Nandhakumar struck once and assisted four times in nine games. These two wingers will lead Delhi's attack tonight.

ISL 2018-19 Live | Kerala Blasters FC v Delhi Dynamos FC - As it happened

Kerala Blasters FC eye first home win, against Delhi Dynamos, in the ISL 2018-19.