ISL: Atletico de Kolkata 1-1 Kerala Blasters FC – 5 talking points

Missing players for both sides did not help the intensity of the contest as Atletico de Kolkata played out a draw with Kerala Blasters at home. The result means Atletico will stay at the top of the ISL table as Kerala struggles to find their footing in the competition.The game started on a positive note for the home side but ended up being one of those scrappy encounters that we will see more frequently as we move forward in this tournament.Here are the five key takeways from the game:

#1 Top vs bottom of the table clash

The league leaders Atletico Kolkata were up against Kerala Blasters who lie at the extreme bottom of the table, making this a mismatch on papers. The highflying Kolkata who haven’t tasted defeat this season were in superb form with three wins and a draw in their four outings.

But, the absence of the head coach Antonio Lopez Habas and the star striker Fikru Teferra, who were suspended by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) following the dirty incidents that took place in the previous game against Goa FC, meant that the Kolkata side were not in their best possible outfit. The Spanish forward and marquee player Luis Garcia who is also the captain of their side was also unavailable courtesy a hamstring injury.

The absence of the deadly duo of Luis Garcia and Fikru Teferra up front saw the Spanish forward Arnal Carbo and Cavin Lobo making their first ever start on the season. While on the other side, Blasters who are yet to open their account on points had displayed heart winning performances in all their previous outings, dominating on the possession and creating chances on goal, only failing in their finishing part. Though, just a mismatch on papers, both sides looked similar in quality and had enough of what it takes to win all three points.

#2 Several players made their debuts of the season

The unavailability of several players due to concerns regarding suspension and injuries saw both sides featuring new faces to start off as Atletcio de Kolkata came out to take on the Kerala Blasters. Atletico were more cautious about introducing new faces into their side, trying more on sticking with their regular players, not wanting to muddle up their winning combination. Kerala Blasters who are yet to reach their full potential were in an experimenting mode throughout the season, forcing to try out their bench strength and introducing new faces on a regular basis.

Two players made their debut for Atletico as Kingshuk Debnath replaced the full-back Gowin Franco in the starting eleven, while former Indian International Mohammed Rafi made his debut coming on in the second half to replace the Spanish forward Arnal Carbo. Kerala Blasters introduced three new players into their starting line-up, as French midfielder Raphael Romy, forward Milagres Gonsalves and the veteran Ex-Indian International Renedy Singh made their debut for the season.

#3 Six domestic players started for Atletico de Kolkata

With six slots available for the foreign players in the final eleven, Atletcio de Kolkata who took on a comparatively weaker side, played with just five foreigners, allowing six domestic players to start off the game.

Atletico shotstopper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, who made a glittering performance in the opening game of the season against Mumbai City FC made a comeback to the squad after being benched in the previous game against Goa FC where Armenian goalkeeper Apoula Edima was put to guard the sticks instead.

The Bengali trio of Kingshuk Debnat, Arnab Mondal and Biswajit Saha was donning the defense of the Kolkata side with Spanish defender Josemi being the only foreign presence in their back line. Cavin Lobo made his first ever start of the season after a match winning performance in the previous game against Goa FC where he scored twice to help his team bag all three points out of that game. Baljit Sahni was another Indian player featuring the home side.

#4 Kerala Blasters won their first league point

After making a heedless start to the season, going down in both their matches against NorthEast United and Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters managed to win a point to their name for the first time in the season after a hard fought draw against the league leaders Atletico de Kolkata. Blasters, who dominated all their matches in terms of ball possession and creating chances on goal had only themselves to blame for the poor finishes that they made throughout their matches, only managing to find the net once in two outings.

The men in yellow who ended up on the better side on ball possession for a third successive term had put in a commendable performance against an in-form Atletcio only to settle for a draw in the end. Keeping aside their finishing attributes, Blasters were one of the strongest sides in terms of performance. But, goals are all what matters for any side and they will be hoping to improve their game and rankings with plenty of games in hand for the season.

#5 Iain Hume Hero Man of the Match

The Canadian International and Kerala Blasters forward Iain Hume had a great day on the field, helping to level his side by scoring a solitary goal against Atletico de Kolkata in the first half of the game. From the forward line, to the midfield, to even the defense, he made his presence in the entire field, charging into the opposition to win the ball wherever it was. He along with the Nigerian skipper Penn Orji and Milagres Gonsalves formed some deadly combinations up front that gave some very tough times for the Kolkata defense.

The sole goal from Blasters was also the result of such a combo, with Hume making a run forward with the ball that he won in the midfield. Hume moved forward passing the ball to Gonsalves, who made a delightful flip to push the ball back to Hume who made no mistake with a lovely touch to the right of the Atletico goalkeeper Subhashish. This performance against the Kolkata side helped him win the Hero Man of the Match award. Both the goals came in the first half, with Baljit Sahni finding the net for the Kolkata side.