ISL 2022: The match was drawn, yet Kerala reached the final, know how
Football
By-Rahul Singh
Goa : Kerala Blasters FC have reached the final of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 on the basis of better goal average. Kerala held Jamshedpur FC to a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the first semi-final played at the Tilak Maidan stadium in Vasco da Gama on Tuesday and coach Owen Coyle’s League Shield winning team were stunned as they approached their first final. . Captain Adrian Luna, who scored the goal for Kerala in the match, was awarded the Hero of the Match award.
Sahal Abdul Samad’s goal became the reason for coach Ivan Vukomanovic’s team to reach the finals of Kerala. Even though Samad did not play in today’s match, he scored a goal in the first match of the two-leg semi-final played on Friday to give Kerala a 1-0 win over League Shield winners Jamshedpur.
However, the first goal of the match today came in the 18th minute when captain Adrian Luna took Kerala Blasters to an early 1-0 lead. After receiving a pass on the left flank, Alvaro Vazquez flicked the ball to Luna on the center and the Uruguayan attacking midfielder showed excellent control with the ball on the attacking third, first pasting right-back Laldinliana Renthlei and then through the D-box. A right footer shot from right outside, swung the ball in the air on the edge of the second post and scored a fine goal while goalkeeper TP Rehenesh could not reach the ball despite diving to his left.
Prannoy Halder scored from a header in the 50th minute to level Jamshedpur at 1-1. On the first corner kick of the match, Greg Stewart from the right end delivered the ball to Daniel Cheema Chukwu, on which Cheema could not give strength from his header and after being hit by a Kerala defender, the ball reached Prannoy. Defensive midfielder Pranay took the ball across the goalline with his right foot while goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill had no chance.
In the first half, both the teams came very close to scoring on a few occasions. Kerala got the opportunity when Vazquez chipped away from the target in the second minute and missed the golden opportunity. Kerala got their chance again, scoring a high-press from Hoare Pereira Diaz in the ninth minute when the ball high-pressing on clearance from defender Peter Hartley rebounded from Diaz and hit the cross bar but the goal was not scored. Diaz scored on this rebound but he was declared off-side. Daniel Cheema Chukwu scored in the 36th minute to level Jamshedpur but gave the Nigerian striker an off-side.
