MATCH REPORT: Spectacular goalfest ends in victory for Pune and heartbreak for Blasters

IN A SPECTACULAR goalfest at Balewadi where Pune City's Nicky Shorey set up Kalu Uche and Tuncay Sanli to claim 3 goals outdid the efforts of Kerala Blasters, including the brace from Mohammad Rafi, to claim a 3-2 victory and reclaim their place at the top of the ISL table.

David Platt, with the bravado he is known for when it comes to team selection, made 5 changes to the Pune City starting XI, introducing the likes of Gurjinder Singh, Diego Colotto, Bikash Jairu, Pritam Kotal and Kalu Uche into the first formation. For Kerala, Peter Taylor made 3 changes. Shankar Sampingraj, Josue Currais and Chris Dagnall made the cut for the starting line-up.

The match was action-packed from the very first breath. With only 50 seconds on the clock, Mohammad Rafi scored the fastest goal in the history of Indian Super League to give the visitors a very early lead. It was a run by Dagnall up the right flank, who sent in a great cross for Rafi to head in. 

Pune City took a couple of minutes to recover from this early sucker punch. But soon they were back on their feet and going toe to toe with the Blasters. A cross from Kotal had Uche attempt a header but missed the target. Then a pass from Shorey saw Uche set up Zokora whose shot was on target, but Kerala keeper Bywater made a great diving save.

Kalu Uche had been drafted into the starting line-up to be Pune's target man. And his presence in the final third was creating problems for Kerala defenders from the get go. And it all paid off in the 16th minute when Shorey sent a high cross into the box. Uche jumped up to meet the header, unattended by Peter Ramage who was standing right there but did not think to go for the aerial duel. Uche's header slammed the ball onto the ground and it went into the goal on the bounce, beating Bywater. Pune were level.

Kerala got a golden opportunity to take the lead again when Dagnall scooped it up to Coimbra who was in lots of space but headed it off target. 

And then Pune took the lead, once again through Uche. Once again it was Nicky Shorey who fooled Rahul Bheke and Mehtab Hossain to set it up for Uche. Once again Ramage was standing right next the Nigerian striker but proved to be of little help as Uche flicked it into the net to get his second goal of the match and put Pune 2-1 ahead. 

The onus was now on the visitors to chase it down. The battle continued in the midfield with the Blasters desperate for an early break so as to avoid letting the pressure settle on them. And their efforts paid off around the half hour mark as Josue Currais sent a high one into the box and it was Mohammad Rafi again, leaping past Gouramangi, meeting the ball with a header that dramatically hit the post then hopped into the net on the other end of the goal. Kerala were level, with Rafi getting the second goal of the match, and the fourth of the season, all of which came from headers.  

The game carried on in a frantic fashion as both teams got chances to take the lead. Rafi almost got his hat-trick when Nicky Shorey sent a back pass to Simonsen whose clearance went to the former Mumbai FC striker, but he shot it way off target. 

Then it was Eugeneson who sent one to Tuncay, but Sandesh took the Turkish forward down. Nicky Shorey got the ball, set up Uche again, but the latter's header missed the goal by the whiskers. 

These missed opportunities made sure that the first half came to an end at 2-2, with the second half promising to bring one final push by the teams to get ahead before the close. 

David Platt took the first substitution at the outset of the second half, bringing in Roger Johnson in Diego Colotto's place.

It was Pritam Kotal who got things going in the second period by foiling a good attempt by Dagnall and Currais. Dagnall was in the thick of it again as he forced Simonsen to make a one-handed save with a tight shot. Then it was Coimbra who set up an onrushing Currais whose shot was off target. Minutes later Eugeneson Lyngdoh, whose bad form in ISL continued tonight, commited a harsh foul on Coimbra to stop him from running up the flank. Kerala were keeping the pressure on and the Pune defence was starting to show cracks.

Another good chance befell Rafi when Dagnall set him up with a cross but Rafi shot it wide and missed his chance to get a hat-trick. That was the last action he saw as Taylor subbed him for Cavin Lobo. Pune made a change as well; Dharmaraj Ravanan came on for Pritam Kotal. 

And then it was Nicky Shorey in action again, getting Pune City the all-important third goal. Once again it was a cross from the left flank. Once again it was a goal by a header. Peter Ramage was nearby yet again, unable to do much. The scorer, this time, was Tuncay Sanli whose header Bywater failed to judge and over-committed to the wrong side. With some twenty minutes to go, Pune City were up 3-2. And Nicky Shorey had attained the feat of becoming the first player in ISL history to get 3 assists in one match.

Taylor threw everything he had to attack back. He put in forward Sanchez Watt on instead of medio Joao Coimbra. But Pune had gotten hold of the game by now, commanding the possession and hardly letting Kerala come anywhere near their box. Cavin Lobo had a go at the goal, but it was from quite far away. Pune successfully held Kerala back till the end of the game, earning a well-fought 3-2 win, and regaining their place of honour at the top of the ISL table, with 12 points from 6 matches, 2 points above the de-throned Delhi. 

It was a memorable night with both teams playing attacking football and producing goals that were brilliant to watch. Kerala, who came into the game relying on their defence, will be highly disappointed for conceding thrice. Further disheartening for them would be the fact that all these goals were produced by the same player, from the same area of the pitch, through similar crosses, targeting the same player equivalent. Especially Peter Ramage, who was the defender that got owned in the lead up to all 3 goals, will be absolutely gutted that he could not command his area of the pitch and keep an eye on the target man and challenge him in time.

Kerala Blasters, as a team, have once again not played bad at all, but their opponents have just about outplayed them to earn victory over them. This has happened 4 times in a row, as a result of which they lie at the bottom of the table, with only 4 points to show for from the 6 matches they have played so far. With the noose tightening around their campaign's neck, they will now return home to take on Chennaiyin FC on Saturday, and Pune City on Wednesday. Failing to gain enough points in these two matches will effectively seal their season's fate. So for Peter Taylor and his boys, it's now or never.

For David Platt and Pune City, it's a night of vindication. After slipping up against Delhi Dynamos at home and then Chennaiyin FC away, their quest to remain a strong contender in the ISL was coming to question. But tonight they played beautiful football, kept their cool despite being a goal down, and earned victory against an opponent who despite being bottom of the table remain a good team who can put up a challenge against any ISL team. Now that they are back on the top of the table, the next two back-to-back away matches against FC Goa and Kerala Blasters (return leg) give them the opportunity to practically make sure they qualify for the semi-finals and also establish themselves beyond any doubt as a force to reckon with both at home and on the road. With an in-form attack and a well-balanced defence, they have the opportunity to make a definitive title claim over the next ten days.