It was a story of missed chances in Kochi as Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin played out a goalless draw at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday. Courage Pekuson missed a second-half penalty to add to the woes of the Yellow Army who endangered their playoff qualification hopes by continuing their poor form at home this season.
David James made three alterations to the side that edged out NorthEast United in Guwahati. Dimitar Berbatov came back into the starting lineup after his effective cameo against the Highlanders. Milan Singh replaced Arata Izumi in midfield whereas Laruatthara slotted back in at left-back after serving his one-game suspension.
John Gregory had a fully fit squad to choose his team from and the Englishman made four changes to the side that held Jamshedpur a few days ago. Dhanpal Ganesh returned to the double pivot after his suspension and Calderon slotted in at the centre of defence for suspended Mailson Alves. Keenan Almeida was preferred at right-back whereas Gregory Nelson and Rene Mihelic received starts on the flanks.
Wes Brown partnered Sandesh Jhingan in central defence and his ability with the ball at his feet helped Kerala Blasters open Chennaiyin up multiple times early in the game. One such ball over the top of the defence fell into the path of Vineeth who laid the ball off for Jackichand to shoot. The Indian winger shifted the ball onto his right foot before testing Karanjit Singh who dived to his right to prevent an early shock for the visitors.
Super Machans boasted a lion's share of possession in the first half but the home side made better use of the ball in the attacking third of the field. Pekuson's shot stung Karanjit's gloves before Vineeth failed to connect to a simple rebound effort from inside the box.
Vineeth almost made amends for the miss in the 22nd minute. Berbatov fed the ball to the Keralite at the edge of the box and the striker skipped past Sereno and Calderon before unleashing a stunning right-footed effort that struck the woodwork.
The game of cat and mouse continued as the half progressed without goals. Fabulous footwork from Raphael Augusto at regular intervals had Blasters backline on high alert. Augusto put the ball on a plate for Bikramjit to shoot from inside the box in the 41st minute but the midfielder dragged his shot wide of Rachubka's goal.
Jeje and Mihelic played a delightful give-and-go that allowed the former to create room for a shot inside the box at the stroke of half-time. But the 'Mizo Sniper' missed his target, much to the delight of a nervous home crowd.
Baldvinsson's mazy run into the box from the right in the 52nd minute caused Jerry Lalrinzuala to panic and attempt a poorly timed tackle from behind. The full back's moment of madness allowed referee Matthew Conger to point to the spot. However, Courage Pekuson's spot-kick was too weak, allowing Karanjit pull off a decent save.
Both goalkeepers were brilliantly tested as the second half progressed. Baldvinsson broke away on a ferocious Blasters counter-attack but failed to beat the fingertips of Karanjit at one end before substitute Jaime Gavilan's wickedly deflected strike forced Rachubka into a good low save.
Gregory Nelson caused trouble inside the Blasters box in added time but Rachubka's fingertips deflected his shot onto the post to prevent a last-minute upset. A combination of goalkeeping brilliance and the home side's profligacy in front of goal allowed Chennaiyin to get away with a point that strengthened their hopes for the playoffs.
No comments:
Post a Comment