FULL-TIME: KERALA BLASTERS 0-0 ODISHA FC
It has been a draining game of football at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi which ended in a goalless draw. Kerala Blasters lost on multiple big things today. The host had two big penalty calls turned down, while Messi Bouli suffered knock to the head and had to taken to the hospital while captain Jairo limped off with a hamstring problem. However there is a temporary relief for Kerala as it moved from eighth to sixth in the ISL table after sharing a point with Odisha FC.
90+2' Narayan Das could have gifted away Kerala a chance with his poor clearance which falls back in the box. Kerala tries to comes back for one last as the referee blows the whistle bringing an ends to an energy-sapping game. The Kerala players down on the pitch as the rain and the humidity of the evening have taken a lot out of them.
90' Rahul gets to the byline on the right as he tries to square off for Ogbeche but Dorrensoro manages to get hold of the ball.
88' Martin Guedes lays it off to for Daniel to go take a shot from outside the box. The ball takes a deflection off Cidoncha but the Xisco is unable to find an Odisha head with his set-piece.
85' SAVED! What a save that was from Dorronsoro! Ogbeche gets a head to a cross from the left wing and gets it into the path of Rahul who unleashes a powerful strike. But Dorronsoro shows sharp reflexes to palm the ball away for a corner.
83' Odisha once again fails to get the ball into the box as Kerala wins back the possession.
81' Odisha should've buried two good chances it had in the second half but coughing up possession in the middle and the wastefulness of the forwards has let it down.
78' Ogbeche comes for Rafi! The Kochi crowd is on its feet as the forward comes on. He seems to have stepped on Diagne's foot inside the box with his first box entry as the defender has a go at the Kerala captain. However, the referee intervenes to cool the situation.
75' Poor crossing from Nandhakumar Sekar. The winger skies the ball as it unexpectedly loops towards the far corner as Rehenesh makes a jump but there was no real danger.
73' Odisha wins a corner kick as Xisco whips in a decent ball. Raju Gaikwad goes for it but Jessel manages to head it away for another corner. The second delivery is dealt well by Rehenesh who palms it away for his defence to clear.
70' Xisco drills a low left-footed shot from outside the box which has power but not enough direction on it.
68' Narayan Das and Rakip come face to face on the right wing as the defender manages to get the ball over the line for a corner. Rakip claims that there was a handball involved and seems like he is not wrong. The ball hits Narayan's foot before hitting his shoulder before going over the line. However, the linesman is not interesting.
65' Jerry makes a run on the left side after being put through as Rehenesh rushes off his line to clear the ball away. The Kochi crowd is in full voice again as Ogbeche warms up on the sidelines.
63' Another good spell on the ball for Kerala. K. Prasanth springs into action as he goes on Arjen Robben-eque run - cuts in from the left wing and curls the ball at the far post - only to miss the far corner by inches.
61' Both the teams are relying on long balls. Jessel gets hold of the ball and tries to put Sahal through to the goal with a long ball over the Odisha defence. However, Dorresoro darts out of the box to get to the ball before the forward does.
57' Close! Jerry does brilliantly to get a cross into the box with Nandhakumar lurking at the far post. However, the forwards makes a mess of the shot with a heavy first touch which runs into the side netting.
55' Sahal twists and turns as he double nutmegs Jerry before running away from him. It does not lead to a scoring opportunity but the Kochi crowd is pleased.
52' Nandhakumar Sekar goes on a run on the left and crosses it towards the goal, but Rehenesh is in a good position to collect the ball comfortably.
47' Do we have another injury? Rafi and Diagne go for a header near the centre and clatter into each other. Rafi gets medical attention as he gets a ice pack on his neck. However, the forwards looks fine.
46' Odisha also loses its captain at half time as Marcos Tebar is replaced by Martin Guedes. The Odisha midfielder was seen struggling after coming under a studs-on challenge from Sergio Cindoncha.
HALF-TIME: Kerala Blasters 0-0 Odisha FC
It has been an absorbing first half at Kochi which first saw Kerala starting without its star forward Bartholomew Ogbeche. But things went from bad to worse for the home team as captain Jairo limped off with a hamstring issue. Kerala's evening turned into a nightmare when Messi Bouli, the player who replaced Ogbeche, clashed head on with Aridane during a corner and was taken off in an ambulance for scans. There wasn't much going on the pitch but Sahal Abdul Samad's 35th minute attempt drew a strong challenge inside the box but the referee waved off the claims. K.P. Rahul had a better chance in front of the goal, but a futile attempt at showboating left Kerala without an opener.
45+5' The referee blows the whistle to bring a long drawn out first half to an end. Kerala Blasters coach Elco Schattorie storms on to the pitch and is face to face with the referees. It must be about the penalty decision of Sahal which did not go Kerala's way.
45+1' We have five minutes of added time after the chaotic early minutes which saw both teams were forced to use two substitutions in the first period. Narayan Das gets hold of the ball on the left and goes for a long-ranger but it is straight down Rehenesh's throat.
44' Chance! First major chance of the half falls for Rahul as he goes for an audacious scissors kick off a low cross from Hakku. His attempt falls flat as the ball flies away into the orbit.
42' Jerry slices open the Kerala defence with a pass from the middle. Mandha gets on the end of it but hesitates for a couple of moments before crossing it towards the opposite wing which has no takers.
40' Narayan Das puts the Odisha defence under pressure with a poor clearance, but lack of urgency from the Kerala forwards make it easy for the visitor to clear the ball comfortably.
38' Tebar comes under the high tackle from Cindocha in the centre, but he looks fine as the play resumes.
35' Sahal gets the crowd going as he takes the ball on the right and beats five Odisha players on his way into the box. He goes inside the box after a challenge from Rana but the referee says no penalty.
32' It will be interesting to see from here on as both teams are without their main men upfront.
Update:Messi Bouli has been taken to hospital for scans to check for a concussion.
29' Rafi comes on for a loud cheer from the local crows and immediately wins a free kick on the right side. However, the looped free-kick is read well by Dorronsoro as he plucks it out of air before Kerala attacks it.
27' Both Messi and Aridane are taken off as Mohammed Rafi and Carlos Delgado replace them in the middle.
24' Aridane, Messi Bouli have a nasty collision while going for the ball from the corner. This is not a good sight as there is blood on the Odisha striker's head.
23' Xisco shows brilliant vision as he puts Mandha through on the left wing with a single pass. Centre-back Jessel clears it away for a corner.
20' Jerry is on his bike as he runs Jessel in his wake on the right wing. K.P. Rahul makes a last-ditch tackle as Odisha wins a corner kick. However, the set-piece does not reach a Odisha player's head.
18' We have an update on Ogbeche's benching. The Nigerian is suffering from food poisoning and the management has decided not to start with him as a precautionary measure.
15' Kerala wins another corner but the delivery is wayward. However, the host wins the second ball and Cido gets a head to the ball, but it is straight into the chest of Diagne.
12' Aridane gets a first whiff of the ball as dances down the left side, however he muscled off the ball by Cido.
10' Kerala players are resorting to time wasting as their game is getting sluggish with every passing minute. Sahal is full of energy but his touch looks still a bit rusty.
8' The home team looks in control so far. Sahal runs at the Odisha goalkeeper and gets a draws a desperate clearance kick out of him.
6' Kerala wins the first corner of the match and its a short one. However, it comes to nothing as the host is unable to get the ball in a threatening position.
4' Abdul Hakku comes on for the captain as he slots in at centre-back.
2' Oh boy! More trouble for Kerala right at the beginning. Jairo chases a loose ball on the right side as he seems to have pulled his hamstring. He limps off the pitch.
1' Here we go! Odisha FC begins the proceedings from left to right.
* Ogbeche does not look comfortable sitting on the bench as he keeps his eyes locked on the pitch with Kerala Blaster coach Eelco Schattorie in his line of sight.
* The players are out on the pitch in Kochi ahead of the kick-off....
What is at stake for Kerala and Odisha?
* Both the teams are on 3 points from the first three matches and win for either teams would lift them to fifth in the standings.
* A draw would also see the teams move up, but Kerala Blasters, currently eighth in the standings, will remain below Odisha FC which has a superior goal difference of 0 to Balsters' GD of -1.
Starting XIs: Bartholomew Ogbeche starts on the bench for Kerala, Sahal starts.
Missed the last game? Catch up with the biggest talking points from Goa's emphatic 4-2 win over Mumbai in this episode of The Full Time Show.
Match Preview
Its pre-season may have been a disaster but Kerala Blasters head coach Eelco Schattorie would not have expected things to go the way they currently are for his side in the Indian Super League. The Kochi side has lost two of its three games, the injury list appears to be getting longer and the coach is under mounting pressure.
Keeping this in mind, one can understand when the Dutchman spoke about getting through Friday's match against Odisha FC at the Nehru Stadium safely and then try to sort things out in the two-week break after that.
“We did not have our top keeper (TP Rehenesh) in the first two games, we lost crucial players in our backline and we missed a key player in the midfield, so the stability is not there. And now, we have lost (centre-back Gianni) Zuiverloon, one who should be doing the build-up,” Schattorie said ahead of the match.
“We need to stick together, get the support of the supporters and get through this, get into the break and hopefully get some players back.”
The problem is while the Blasters lost its last match against Hyderabad FC, Odisha is full of confidence having beaten Mumbai City FC 4-2 in Mumbai for its first win this season.
Another challenge for Schattorie is to integrate midfielder Sahal Abdul Samand in the starting XI which he hasnt been part of in the past two games. The manager said that he is still trying to integrate the youngster into the main team but has not guaranteed a place yet.
MATCH BROADCAST DETAILS
The match will be shown on the Star Sports network and can also be streamed live on Hotstar. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM IST.
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