Josue drives Kerala Blasters to 3-1 win against NE United with stunning volley
Kerala Blasters finished the game with a comfortable 3-1 win agaisnt NorthEast FC in their opening game at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Kochi. The Blasters showed their class tonight, and have sent out a strong message to the other teams in the league. They now boast of a potent attack to complement their reliable defence.
Kerala Blasters made a good start to the game and Mohammed Rafi should have put the home side into the lead in the 6th minute of the game, when the ball fell kindly for him, with goalkeeper Rehnesh stranded outside the box. But the former Atletico de Kolkata striker’s shot was way off the mark.
The NorthEast United midfield gained more composure as the match progressed, and started to trouble the Kerala defence. Cesar Farias used a 4-4-2 formation, with Diomancy Kamara starting on the wing. The Senegalese striker, who was playing in the role of a wide play-maker, drifted into a more central role. This allowed space for the left back, Reagan Singh, to move forward and join the attack.
Peter Taylor opted for a 5-3-2 formation for Kerala Blasters in this game, with Rahul Bheke and C.K Vineeth playing as the wingbacks. The former made some good runs into the box in the early stages of the game.
In the 30th minute of the game, NorthEast had to replace their captain Miguel Garica, who seemed to have picked up an injury. Interestingly, Farias didn’t replace him with a defender and instead brought on Sanju Pradhan and shifted Bruno Arias into the center of the defence.
While NorthEast dominated the possession, it was the men in yellow who created the most chances in the first half. Nicolas Velez was the only player in the visitor’s line-up who looked threatening enough to score a goal.
The first half ended goalless though, and it was gearing up to be another low scoring game between these two sides. But the second half turned out to be anything but boring.
Spanish midfielder Josue provided the home side with the lead with a thumping left footed volley. Rahul Bheke caused havoc in the NorthEast United box with a long throw-in, and the ball reached Vineeth at the far post. The midfielder failed to connect with an ambitious overhead kick, instead, he managed to lay it off perfectly for Josue. The former La Masia graduate found the back of the net with a goal which will be a contender for the goal of the tournament.
Mohammed Rafi doubled the lead for Kerala in the 68th minute, and the goal once again arrived from a Rahul Bheke throw-in. Peter Ramage headed the ball onto the far post, and Rafi was able to pounce on it and direct it into the net with a strong header.
Just four minutes later, Rafi was once again in the middle of all the action as he put substitute Sanchez Watt through on goal with a glancing header. The former Arsenal youth team player made no mistake and guided the ball underneath the feet of the onrushing goalkeeper.
Velez managed to salvage some pride for the away side with a stunning goal of his own in the closing moments of the game. The Argentinean drifted in from the left wing with the ball and curled the ball into the far corner with a lovely finish.
However, it was too little, too late in the end, as Kerala Blasters finished the game with a comfortable 3-1 win. The Sachin Tendulkar owned team showed their class tonight, and have sent out a strong message to the rest of the teams in the league. They now possess a potent attack, along with the reliable defence.
Cesar Farias has a lot to think about ahead of their next game, namely the tactics he used in the match. The decision to replace Garcia with Arias in the defence was questionable, to say the least. The return of Simao Sabrosa will improve their attack, but until then, the team will have to provide more support to Velez upfront.
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