ISL 2015: Mumbai City FC's struggle continues as Kerala Blasters hold them to a goalless draw
Kerala Blasters FC hosted Mumbai City FC where they played out a 0-0 draw, in front of a packed stadium. On an night when neither of the sides failed to convert chances that fell their way, Mumbai looked the better side as it created more chances along the way.
Nicolas Anelka’s Mumbai travelled to Kochi knowing that they needed to get off the mark, and that they would have to achieve it against the last year's finalists. The atmosphere at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, Kerala was electrifying with a crowd of over 61,000 turning up in full support of their team.
Kerala Blasters FC's defensive intent was very clear from the start as they started with a 5-3-2 formation . They crowded out the middle of the park, forcing Mumbai to go wide in attack.
However, the Blue Citizens still dominated the game in attack, and Kerala struggled with their buildup play. Mumbai got off to a very good start with the first chance coming within the 2nd minute of play, when the ball landed at the feet of Sony Norde who drove it across the area, only to be cleared by Kerala custodian, Bywater. Mumbai were not to be deterred as Sony Norde and Singam Subhash continued to combine well up-front for the visitors, making direct runs into the opposition.
On the other hand, Kerala's offense, at no point in the first half, stretched the Mumbai side. Subsequently, the score remained at 0-0 at the half time mark.
Kerala Blasters FC commenced the second half looking to score straight away. They opened up the Mumbai defence; were more direct, and it was not too long before they began to peg Mumbai back in their own half. Meanwhile, the Mumbai side found its inspiration in Subhash who was relentless in his attack, piercing the formidable Kerala defence only to fall short eventually.
In the 72nd minute, the Blaster's coach, Taylor replaced Dagnall with Sanchez Watt in an attempt to add fresh legs into the attack.
Mumbai's strong defense, however, held them in good steed through the match, as star defender Pavel Cmovs held fort through the entire game, his best tackle coming in a one-on-one situation with Ahmed in the 75th minute that eventually helped the visitor’s keep their clean sheet intact.
Anelka chose to replace defender Darren O’Dea with striker Frederic Piquionne in the 80th minute. The striker managed to get into the thick of action within four minutes after his arrival as he picked up a splendid cross from Norde and shot it across, only to be denied by the woodwork. It was a big reprieve for the Kerala Blasters FC, with the scores still level at 0-0.
The biggest moment of the match happened in the final minute of injury time, when Piquinonne was brought down inside the box, only for the referee to continue play. The final whistle was blown seconds later to mark the end of a closely fought defensive encounter.
Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC left the game, probably feeling that either of them could have walked away with the win. While Kerala would be happpy to have eked out a win against an attacking Mumbai outfit, the visitors definitely would need to engage in some soul searching if they are to reach the knockout stages.
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