MATCH REPORT: Late Gadze goal clinches narrow win for Dynamos in tight game

A LATE GOAL from Richard Gadze saw Delhi Dynamos claim a narrow 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters in a tightly fought ISL enoconter at Kochi tonight. 

Peter Taylor delivered made all-out changes to his starting line-up, switching 7 faces from the eleven that started against Atletico de Kolkata, a match they lost. National duty returnees Sandesh Jhingan and Cavin Lobo got in on the act, as did the now-healed marquee Carlos Marchena. Because Marchena replaced Saumik Dey, Manandeep was given a start up front instead of Sanchez Watt in order to maintain the 6-5 foreigner-Indian ratio.

Delhi Dynamos, as expected, kept most of the squad that started against Pune City, only benching Shylo Mama in favour of Francis Fernandes.

After a first minute chance for Cavin Lobo that Doblas stood tall against and a second minute attempt from Gustavo that Bywater managed to block, the match soon became a duel of the defences. Both sides boasting accomplished defenders were unwilling to leave an inch in their own half to the opponent. The sides had near equal possession and similar numbers of chances but neither team could force open the tightly guarded path to the goal. 

Early on there was a nasty foul by Riise on Dagnall that left the Kerala striker bloody but he got a bandage and carried on. Delhi coach Roberto Carlos tried to apply extra force by substituting Zodingliana Ralte for Sehnaj Singh a mere 18 minutes into the match but it it didn't help all that much.

Vineeth made a good pass to Manandeep half an hour into the game but the latter's shot was slow and too straight and Toni Doblas easily got to it. Then there was a moment of pressure in the Kerala box as Malouda shot at the goal twice, and Ramage cleared them both with his head.

Soon after Malouda sent a great through ball to Robin Singh but the Bengaluru FC striker's first touch was poor and Bywater charged at him to succesfully clear the ball. It was the best chance that Delhi had in the half.

Then it was Kerala's turn to miss a close one. Pulga's free kick hit Robin Singh, then fell to Jhingan who got himself in a position to shoot but his delivery went off target. And thus it remained 0-0 at the end of the first half.

It was a satisfying half for each team in terms of defence but both the forward lines left something to be desired. It was obvious that more pace and accuracy was needed up front to get past these defences. 

And it was Peter Taylor who came out and made a bold move, making all three of his substitutions in early in the second half. He went in with a whole new attack by replacing Dagnall and Manandeep with Sanchez Watt and Ishfaq Ahmed. Soon afterwards he took marquee defender Carlos Marchena out, unleashinf Bruno Perone instead.

And soon the game became much more intense as the focus shifted on to making an offensive break-through. Sanchez Watt made an early run, feeding Vineeth who sent a cross to Rahul Bheke who got caught offside. Soon Sanchez stung again, with a cross for Vineeth, who was totally unmarked but failed to connect with the ball.

Then it was Gustavo making inroads into Kerala half. He tried to find Malouda but Ramage was there to play spoilsport. 

Malouda this time passed one to Gustavo whose cross Marcus tried to clear but almost scored an own goal, hitting the crossbar. The ball came right to Robin Singh who had a an absolute sitter on a platter but managed to mess that up as well.

Looking to double down on the attack Carlos introduced Richard Gadze up front, instead of Gustavo Marmentini. This is the move that proved to be the difference.

Gadze had an immediate impact on the game, making some good moves and for the first time the Kerala defence looked a bit disorganized. 

And then, at the very death of the game on the 87th minute, Richard scored. The ball came from Malouda, and Gadze was at the right place at the right time, unmarked, to put the finishing move on the cross. The one time Kerala's defenders were caught sleeping cost them the whole match.

The Blasters tried hard to get back. Bheke sent in a good cross for Vineeth but the shot Doblas pulled off a remarkable save. Then Delhi had a chance to double the lead when Malouda found Gadze again inside the box but his shot was above the target.

And then it was over. The Delhi Dynamos had managed to pull off a third straight narrow win and climbed to the second spot in the table, at par with Pune City in terms of points (9 each) trailing only by goal difference. 

For Kerala Blasters this is a sucker punch. Their much cherished defence had a momentary lapse and let them down in a crucial match. With 4 points from 4 matches after two straight losses they are now 6th in the table. They have enough time to recover from this position but for that to happen Peter Taylor must put extra some extra thoughts into the attack. Maybe if the pace of Sanchez Watt was at work from the very beginning the game could have turned out differently. Dagnall, while a good player, is not the best option they have.

The game itself was full of suspense from start to finish. And the second half became a treat to watch, with both teams making changes similar to what we predicted in the half-time report to play a more attacking game. 

But in the end the 62,023 loud Kerala Blasters fans had to go back disappointed. It was Roberto Carlos's moves that paid off, and he will now proceed to Mumbai to take on Anelka's Mumbai City on Wednesday; with a chance to go to the top of the table for the first time in the franchise's history.