MATCH REPORT: Brace from Dagnall helps Kerala blast their way back into the title race
Starting Line-Ups:
NorthEast United FC- Rehenesh TP, Aiborlang Khongjee, Cedric Hengbart, Carlos Lopez, Robin Gurung, Andre Bikey, Silas, Sanju Pradhan, Simao Sabrosa, Alen Deory, Nicolas Velez
Kerala Blasters FC - Stephen Bywater, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Peter Ramage, Saumik Dey, Cavin Lobo, Pulga, Mehtab Hossain, Josue Currais, Antonio German, Chris Dagnall
A BRACE FROM CHRIS DAGNALL and a goal apiece from Lobo and German ensured a massive 4-1 win for Kerala Blasters over NorthEast United that saw the bottom-table team make a convincing statement that their struggle to make it to the ISL semi-finals is by no means a mere futility.
NorthEast United came in with all-out changes to their line-up: seven changes from the last match saw the likes of Robin Gurung, Aiborlang Khongjee, Cedric Hengbart, Allen Deory, Silas, Sanju Pradhan and Nicolas Velez come into the squad as the Highlanders sought to make sure they finished among the top four in the points table at the end of the 10th round.
The visitors, too, made a few changes; bringing in Antonio German, Pulga, Cavin Lobo and Sandesh Jhingan back into the squad, with the latter two joining the team back from national duty. They came into the match in a state of desperation: losing this match would see their campaign for top four to the edge of the ditch.
But it was fireworks for Phelan's boys from the outset as Antonio German sent an early pass to Chris Dagnall who came under pressure from Robin Gurung but still managed to send it right home. Kerala Blasters were 1-0 ahead, with the clock reading just 28 seconds. The fastest ever goal in ISL history.
After the initial stun, the home team tried to get back into the game. A couple of moves initiated by Aiborlang and Bikey got cleared by KBFC defenders. Velez up front was trying hard but he got caught offside once then failed to gain control of a good long ball that could have put him face to face with Bywater.
A free kick for NEUFC saw marquee Simao step up. The shot took a header from Cedric and leapt towards the goal but Bywater made a spectacular diving save to keep Kerala ahead.
Afterwards, Kerala were happy to take things slow for a while. Stephen Bywater got a yellow for time wasting. NorthEast were trying hard to get one back early on to keep the pressure from building but chances weren't forthcoming.
A pass from Silas to Alen saw the latter shoot it way above the corssbar. Then a Simao free-kick found its way into the box but got duly cleared.
A chance for Kerala went begging when Dagnall invaded the NEUFC box, found Ramage but the latter's shot got deflected for a corner by Robin Gurung. Then a shot by Josue saw Rehenesh pull off a remarkable diving save.
The game entered interval with Kerala Blasters firmly in the lead with a 2 goal cushion and a defence that was working well do defend that lead. NorthEast United came out in the second half with the onus of chasing the game on them, and manager Cesar Farias showed some initiative by replacing Alen Deory with Siam Hanghal at the start of the second half.
An early run from Chris Dagnall saw him go deep into the NEUFC half and cross right into the penalty box. It created all sorts of trouble as keeper Rehenesh knocked into his a teammate trying to get in position to get the ball. Josue got it, took the shot, but Rehenesh managed to jump back in time to make the save.
A nasty challenge on Josue Currais by Siam Hanghal inside the box saw the referee make yet another blunder and deny the penalty. This resulted in a major scuffle between players of both teams that saw both Siam Hanghal and Chris Dagnall both end up on the referee's book.
The next few minutes saw Cesar Farias play his remaining cards and introduce Raju Mangang and Diomansy Kamara into the game instead of Robin Gurung and Simao Sabrosa. Kamara got a great chance to get on the scoresheet immediately after coming on, but Bywater made another spectacular save.
And then came a two-minute period that knocked the home side out of the game. A Josue Currais ball into the NEUFC box saw Antonio German do the needful and score the 3rd goal for Kerala. Then next minute it was Dagnall who struck again, building a great move with Cavin Lobo, finishing with a lethal left footer.
Kerala Blasters were now 4-0 ahead, with 14 minutes left. To pass the time, Phelan quickly took all 3 of his subsitutions.
It was well beyond NEUFC at this point to get back in the game but they did manage to get a goal in the 91st minute. It came off a great pass from Kamara to Velez who did well to dodge Rahul Bheke and find the net.
The match ended with a 4-1 victory for the Blasters, ensuring a revival of their fledging ISL campaign. With 11 points from 10 matches, they are no longer far behind the rest in the race to the semi-finals. In fact the win moves them above Chennaiyin FC, who are on 10 points with a game in hand.
NothEast United, meanwhile, are still at 5th with 13 points from 10 matches. This one loss may not prove to be a major setback in the end, but it doesn't do any favours to their status as the team with the worst goal difference in the tournament (-7); and this is something that might come back to bite them.
Interestingly, Kerala Blasters now have the best goal difference (+2), jointly with 4th placed Atletico de Kolkata.
The win provides Kerala some much needed momentum ahead of their trips to Chennai and Mumbai, two difficult away assignments that may make or break their campaign. NorthEast United will have another chance to make a turnaround at home when they play Mumbai on Friday, before they go up against the likes of Goa and Delhi. Both the teams are under huge pressure to get a few good results within the next week or risk an end to their top four dreams.
But for the tournament at large, the re-emergence of Kerala Blasters as a semi-final candidate means that even now, after 10 rounds, they cannot rule out any team out from the title race. The season has been a neck-to-neck affair all along, and once again all 8 teams are placed within 5 points of each other. The fight for the semi-final spots is going down the wire and no team can rest easy.
