Team Herald
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PANJIM: Kerala Blasters stunned Jamshedpur FC with a late surge which saw them score a thrilling 3-2 win against their opponents in the Indian Super League at Tilak Maidan, Vasco, while Odisha FC and Chennaiyin FC played out a drab draw on Sunday.
The win was even more special as they put an end to their winless streak, as they scored their second win of the season. And it came playing with a man less for almost more than 25 minutes after Lalruatthara saw red following his second booking.
Kerala took the lead in the match on the 22nd minute after Costa Nhamoinesu headed in from a Facundo Pereyra free-kick. Jamshedpur equalised 14 minutes later as Nerijus Valskis converted his free-kick from just outside the box. It was all square at the break. But in the second half Jordan Murray scored a brace (79’, 82’) for Kerala while Valskis’s second wasn’t enough to help Jamshedpur record a comeback.
Jamshedpur FC has early chance in the game when Valskis set up Mobashir Rahman, but the latter’s effort deflected off the post.
At the other end, Gary Hooper put Murray through on goal with a decisive pass that split open the Jamshedpur backline. But with only the keeper to beat, the Australian skewed his shot over the bar.
Kibu Vicuna’s side soon broke the deadlock from a setpiece when Facundo Pereyra swung a delicious cross in the box for Costa, who got ahead of Jamshedpur keeper TP Rehenesh and headed home.
Jamshedpur rallied back soon after conceding and would go on to restore parity from a set-piece after Lalruatthara fouled Alexandre Lima in a dangerous area outside the box. Valskis curled his free-kick over the wall and into the top bottom corner past Kerala custodian Albino Gomes, ending his three-match goalless streak.
In the second half, Jamshedpur nearly took the lead when Jackichand Singh strikes from outside the box but his shot struck the woodwork twice.
Kerala were reduced to ten men just after the hour mark after Lalruatthara was shown a second yellow card for a rash tackle.
In the final quarter, two defensive errors from Jamshedpur helped Kerala gain an advantage. They took the lead from a set-piece. After Jessel Carneiro’s throw-in was cleared away poorly by Stephen Eze, Pereyra won the ball and tested Rehnesh from close range. The ball fell to Murray on the rebound and he scored a tap-in. A decisive blunder from Rehenesh three minutes later allowed Murray to score again, seeing the shoulders drop in the Jamshedpur dugout.
Valskis got on the scoresheet again to revive Jamshedpur’s hopes of a comeback. The striker buried his header into the net from Mobashir’s cross to cut short his side’s deficit.
In the day’s earlier match, at Athletic Stadium, neither of Chennaiyin FC or Odisha FC could break the deadlock and they share the spoils. The match ended in a controversial fashion as Odisha’s appeal for a penalty was turned out but Chennaiyin FC were overall slightly better on the day. Rahim Ali missed a couple of huge chances but Jerry L and Jerry M had an intense, interesting battle on the left wing and it was a superb performance from both of them. In the end, they had to be content with a point apiece.
