Kerala Blasters FC emerged 2-3 winners against Jamshedpur FC in an action-packed match in the Hero Indian Super League.
The Yellow Brigade registered their second win in their 10 matches and are placed now at 10th position in the ISL standings. However, the Men of Steel missed the chance to make it to the top four and are currently sitting at 5th position.
Nerijus Valskis scored a double whereas Jordan Murray scored the winning goal along with Costa Nhamoinesu scoring the opening goal.
Jamshedpur 2-3 Kerala Blasters : Team News
Jamshedpur made just a change in their starting 11 after the 1-0 win to Bengaluru FC. The club started with their normal 4-3-1-2 formation.
Kibu Vicuna fielded a different starting 11 with two strikers, Jordan Murray and Gary Hooper upfront. Kerala made three changes to their starting 11 and fielded a special 4-4-2 formation.
Jamshedpur 2-3 Kerala Blasters : Match Analysis
The match began in a dramatic manner after a shot from Aniket Jadhav was hit at the post. For the visitors, Murray got a brilliant pass from Hooper but the shot was too high. Gary Hooper then missed two golden chances to put his team in the lead.
However, in the 22nd minute, a thumping header by Costa Nhamoinesu from a free kick taken by Facundo Pereyra broke the deadlock.
The lead didn’t last long as Valskis scored a spectacular free-kick for the equalizer around the 36th minute.
However, more drama was to come in the second half with both sides finding for that winner. Jackichand Singh came near to score against his former club, but the shot hit the post.
The match took a toll after Lalruatthara received a red card and the pressure was building upon the Yellow Brigade.
However, the team rejoiced after Jordan Murray scored two goals inside four minutes to provide the visitors with a comfortable lead.
However, Valskis struck again in the 84th minute as the Red Miners were hoping for a comeback in the match. The clock was ticking and 6 minutes were added after 90 minutes.
However, the coach brought in defensive reinforcements to protect the lead. Finally, the final whistle and the Men in Yellow could breathe after achieving a narrow win!
Notable Performances
Facundo Pereyra (8.5/10) – The 33-year-old was the main workhorse in this fixture. With the brilliant assist for Costa’s diving header, the Argentine was really leading the attack.
Jordan Murray (8/10) – The Australian Sniper once again was on the scoresheet for the Blasters. He could have actually scored around 4-5 goals in this match, however, he was a bit unlucky.
Lalruatthara (5/10) – Poor performance from the 25-year-old defender getting sent off after two lacklustre fouls. His red card put his team under pressure however, they held on to the lead.
Jamshedpur FC next face ISL hosts FC Goa on 14th January whereas the Blasters face SC East Bengal on 15th January in the ISL.
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