Juan Pedro Benali, the NorthEast United (NEUFC) head coach, had promised a nice evening of football when he spoke on the eve of the Indian Super League match against Kerala Blasters here at the Nehru Stadium.
He should be a happy man too, on Saturday night as his team forced the Blasters to a 1-1 draw in a stadium overflowing with a hostile set of home fans in yellow.
NEUFC’s Nestor Albiach and Blasters’ Danish Farooq found the net for their teams.
NorthEast’s opening goal in the 12th minute was the result of fine combination play and neat passes. M.S. Jithin collected a long ball from the left inside the box and neatly passed it to Nestor, who was well-placed in the centre of the box. For a moment, the Blasters backline appeared paralysed, and Nestor moved a bit to set up a perfect stage for his shot and calmly sent the ball into the left corner of the net.
AS IT HAPPENED: Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United FC highlights
Stung by the setback, the Blasters fought hard and almost came close to finding the equaliser a few minutes later, but defender Naocha was unlucky to see his attempt hit the left post.
Shortly after that, Blasters defender Sandeep Singh and midfielder Adrian Luna sent a steady stream of crosses into the box from the right, but there was none to grab the chances, and Blasters went into the break a goal down.
But the scene changed soon after the break. And once again, Luna was in the centre of the action with a brilliant freekick in the 49th minute. Danish Farooq directed the perfect cross from Luna into the net with a glancing header as the crowd roared in celebration.
NEUFC appeared a bit nervous after the equaliser while the Blasters threatened to score a goal or two more. But it was a story of missed chances after that.
The result: Kerala Blasters 1 (Danish Farooq 49) drew with NorthEast United 1 (Nestor Albiach Roger 12)
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