For a team that has scored more than half of their overall goals after 60 minutes of play in the Indian Super League, it was a taste of their own medicine for Kerala Blasters. In their first home match this season, the Kerala outfit were held to a dramatic 1-1 draw by Mumbai City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
It was the home team that deservedly took the lead in the 24th minute through Halicharan Narzary. But Pranjal Bhumji, 19, equalised in the third minute of the five-minute stoppage time with a stunning long ranger to hand Mumbai City a much-needed point.
Kerala Blasters coach David James had fielded an unchanged playing XI that had beat ATK 2-0 in the ISL 5 opener in Kolkata on September 29. Mumbai coach Jorge Costa, on the other hand, made four changes to the side that lost 0-2 to Jamshedpur FC, with Raynier Fernandes, Sehnaj Singh, Arnold Issoko and Shouvik Ghosh coming in.
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Kerala Blasters started the first half well with Sahal Abdul Samad and Nikola Krcmarevic managing the midfield brilliantly, and strikers Matej Poplatnik and Slavisa Stojanovic hustling the Mumbai defence with their incisive runs. The Kerala team should have had the lead in the fourth minute but a superb reflex save from Mumbai custodian Amrinder Singh off Seminlen Doungel's powerful shot on the run, managed to keep the Blasters at bay.
The home team finally took the lead with a beautifully built-up move. Krcmarevic back-heeled a throw to Doungel inside the box, who raced ahead and picked out Narzary on the other side of the box. The 24-year-old took a touch and blasted it to the top left corner of the net to spark off wild celebrations across the stadium.
The Mumbai outfit looked largely clueless in the midfield and toothless in attack. After the halfway-break, though, they showed more intent, creating chances and putting Kerala Blasters skipper and defender Sandesh Jhingan and co under pressure. But the final and decisive touch never came, with Mumbai forward Arnold responsible for a couple of misses. Kerala goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh, too, was effective under the bar.
Kerala Blasters brought on local boy C.K. Vineeth, Courage Pekuson and Keziron Kizito in the second half but failed to find the second goal.
The slender lead came back to haunt the Kerala team, as Bhumji picked up a pass from Sanju Pradhan and unleashed a stunning strike from way outside the penalty box, which crashed into the top of the net, past a diving Dheeraj Singh.
Mumbai City FC will now take on Pune City on October 19, while Kerala Blasters will play Delhi Dynamos in Kochi a day later.
