Red hot Jamshedpur FC, the holders of League Winners’ Shield, dominated the proceedings in the first leg of their Indian Super League semifinal but it was their profligacy in front of the goal and a gritty display from Kerala Blasters players, who held their nerves and fort together, that saw the latter come out as 1-0 winners at PJN Stadium in Fatorda on Friday.
Kerala boy Sahal Abdul Samad, who has made brilliant strides this season to grow form strength to strength, scored the only goal of the match in the 38th minute with a clinical lob over goalkeeper TP Rehenesh which separated the two teams on a night which offered brilliant end-to-end display. Jamshedpur attackers, on the other hand, paid the price for making wrong decisions at the opportune moments.
Jamshedpur, known for their high-pressing games throughout the tournament, began the match on fast lane as usual but were unable to shake the net owing to marginal errors by their frontmen. Daniel Chima Chukwu, a transformed man after his move to Red Miners camp from SC East Bengal, didn’t do justice to his reputation earlier in the match, twice.
The Nigerian was found wasting two golden chances to put his team ahead in the 10th and 20th minute when he shot at near post from right instead of going for across the face of the goal on both occasions.
Mobashir Rahman came in as a forced substitute for Seiminlen Doungel, who felt a muscle pull to go out of the park as early as in the 25th minute of the match. But 10 minutes after coming on, the Jamshedpur-born winger made the same mistake of aiming for the near post at right rather than going for the far post. This was following a clever through free-kick by Greg Stewart from outside the box.
These three almost identical misses by a whisker proved costly when Sahal netted the solitary goal of the match three minutes later.
Blasters centre-back Marko Leskovic’s sliding challenge to win a throw in against first-half substitute Mobashir in his own half took the ball to forward Alvaro Vasquez’s way. Then from the middle of the park, Vazquez floated in the ball for winger Sahal.
Jamshedpur left-back Ricky Lallawmawma’s try for a headed clearance actually made the ball land in the path of Sahal in turn. And the Kerala boy made enough contact for a cheeky lob over advancing Rehenesh, also from Kerala, to put the ball into the back of the net before breaking into jubilation.
Interestingly that was the first shot on target for Kerala and Sahal put it in the right place.
