SC East Bengal drew 1-1 at home to Kerala Blasters in a dramatic match in the Hero Indian Super League.
The Torchbearers got their sweet revenge and are unbeaten in their last six matches. The equalizer was scored in the injury time by a defender, Scott Neville whereas, for the Tuskers, Jordan Murray scored his 6th goal for the club.
The Kolkata team remain at 9th place whereas the Southerners sit at 10th in the ISL Standings.
East Bengal 1-1 Kerala Blasters Team News:
East Bengal made just one change in their starting lineup. The club started with a 3-4-1-2 formation.
Similarly, the Blasters also made just a single change in the starting line up. Kibu Vicuna fielded a 4-4-1-1 formation.
East Bengal 1-1 Kerala Blasters Analysis
SC East Bengal was looking confident by keeping the possession majority of the times and attacking only when needed. They were the club playing with a smarter style of play.
On the other hand, Kerala Blasters were full-on attack, however, failing to acquire some shots ON target. There were some missed passes by the Yellow Brigade. Anyways, Jordan Murray was hitting the form after testing East Bengal Goalie Debjit with a shot inside the box.
The first half ended in a stalemate as none of the teams could score a single goal. The opening goal came in the second half around the 64th minute.
Kerala Goalkeeper Albino Gomes had a long clearance that successfully found Murray, who slotted it home after a fine counter-attack!
However, the goal was just a fragile lead and Sahal Abdul Samad was in his top form in this match. As the Blasters were finally hoping for the final whistle, the referee allowed a retake for a corner that changed the scenario.
Scott Neville broke the hearts of Kerala Blasters supporters after a thumping header assisted by Bright in the 95th minute, a minute before the game ended.
There is controversy arising that the shot was deflected by hitting the arm of Neville before ending in the back of the net. It was really disappointing performance at the end for the Blasters but Joy for East Bengal.
Notable Performances
Jordan Murray (7.5/10) – The Australian sniper is now finding his best form and the duo of Hooper-Murray is becoming nightmares for the opponent defenders.
Sahal Abdul Samad (8/10) – He couldn’t score any goals or create chances much. But still, the Kerala lad put up a good fight in the midfield retaining the ball back at times and being the Workhorse for his team. He deserves to be the Man of the Match!
Jessel Carniero (5/10) – The skipper wasn’t in his best form. Too many mispasses, poor marking, and losing the possession multiple times. He should really need to get back his previous year’s form quickly to lead his team in a better manner.
SC East Bengal next face Chennaiyin FC on 18th January whereas Kerala Blasters take on misfiring Bengaluru FC on 20th January.
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