A largely cagey first half, followed by a pulsating second half, saw Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters share the spoils in the Indian Super League encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
The home side came back from two goals down to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw—their third consecutive stalemate—which leaves them at the seventh position on the points table.
Piti opened the scoring for Jamshedpur in the 38th minute, through a penalty, while substitute C.K. Vineeth, a former Blasters star, doubled the lead in the 71st minute. Raphael Messi Bouli, however, turned saviour for Kerala Blasters scoring in the 75th minute and in the 87th minute through a penalty.
The opening 10 minutes of the match saw the home side pressing on for an early goal. Mario Arques had a brilliant chance in the 4th minute when Seityasen Singh whipped in a cross from the right but his tame header went straight to Jamshedpur goalkeeper Subrata Paul.
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His counterpart T.P. Rehenesh, though made some smart saves and alert interceptions, was found out of position more than once. He almost handed Jamshedpur the lead when his clearance rebounded off Farukh Chowdhary and rolled just clear of the net in the 15th minute.
Chowdhary had a golden chance in the 23rd minute when Narender Gahlot drilled a low cross from the left across the face of the Blasters goal but the former failed to connect properly, with only Rehenesh to beat.
Jamshedpur were clearly the dominant side and they deservedly took the lead through a penalty, when Tiri was pulled down inside the box by Blasters defender Vlatko Drobarov during a corner kick. Piti stepped up to take the spot-kick and coolly dinked it past Rehenesh.
Kerala spurned a well-worked chance to equalise after the restart. Seityasen drilled a low cross into the box from the right flank for Arques who failed to connect at the near post. The loose ball fell perfectly for Sergio Cidoncha whose powerful strike from inside the box flew wide.
Sahal Abdul Samad's introduction in place of Cidoncha in the second half gave the hosts a much-needed spark in midfield.
In the 66th minute, the Kerala-born midfielder danced his way past the Jamshedpur defence before getting a shot away. Tiri was well-positioned to block the strike and keep his team in the lead.
Five minutes later, on his return to Kochi, substitute Vineeth struck Jamshedpur's second. The forward played a one-two with Farukh Chaudhary before dribbling into the box and finding the gap between Rehenesh and the near post.
Kerala Blasters pressed high up the field as an emergency response and worked the ball well to find a goal in the 75th minute. Sahal produced a delightful chip from inside the box for Messi who nodded in at the far post to provide a ray of hope for his team.
With three minutes left for the end of regulation time, Kerala found an equaliser. Seityasen Singh dribbled into the box and was brought down by Robin Gurung. Messi stepped up and converted from the spot to complete his brace and a late comeback for Kerala.
(With PTI inputs)
