East Bengal players (left) and their Kerala Blasters counterparts look disheartened at the end of their ISL match in Vasco on Sunday night.
Highlight
- East Bengal’s winless streak in six matches
- This was the third consecutive draw between these two teams in the ISL.
- A second goal was denied for the Blasters on the stroke of the 89th minute.
SC East Bengal were held to a 1-1 draw by Kerala Blasters FC in their Indian Super League 2021-22 match at the Tilak Maidan Stadium here on Sunday.
It was the third consecutive draw between these two teams in the ISL, extending East Bengal’s winless streak to six games. Tomislav Marcela’ (37′) opened his account in the ISL by scoring with a header before equalizing with a well-taken shot from Alvaro Vazquez (44′) just before halftime.
lvaro Vázquez seemed to have sent the Blasters into the lead, but the referee reversed his decision and the goal was denied because the striker had whistled before the ball was passed to the goalkeeper. Within minutes of that incident, Prabhasukhan Gill made a crucial save keeping Antonio Perosevic away.
Scoring opportunities were lacking in the first half until Tomislav Marcela found the back of the net with his head. Centre-back Raju Gaikwad got at the end of a long throw and took the ball past the keeper. KBFC then lost their defender Enes Sipovic to an injury as he left the pitch in despair and was replaced by Abdul Hakku.
With minutes to go at halftime, Vazquez’s right footed shot from outside the box took a wicked deflection from Myrcella and went into the back of the net, pulling the game back on equal terms. Thongkosim Haokip and Amarjit Singh Kiyam received a yellow card each in the first half for poor challenges.
The second half got off to a rough start as both the teams struggled for pace in the last third, canceling each other out. Vazquez attempted a long-range shot late in the second half which was turned away by the goalkeeper. It was the Spaniard’s last contribution as Ivan Vukomanovic sent Jorge Diaz off the bench in his place.
A second goal was denied for the Yellow Army on the stroke of the 89th minute, when Diaz pushed a defender into the net before heading for a cross. The competition ended without a goal in the second half and points were shared between the two sides.
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