Jamshedpur, Mar 31 (UNI) Jamshedpur FC struck back through an equaliser by Javi Siverio to settle for a 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here in the Indian Super League (ISL) match on Saturday night.
Ahead of the match, the Yellow Army required a victory to ensure that they booked a berth in the playoffs. Their march towards the same game received a boost courtesy of an opening strike by Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 23rd minute of the match.
However, Siverio, who had been a constant source of threat for the Kerala Blasters FC defence ensured that he struck the back of the net in the 45th minute of the second draw of the day.
The former Hyderabad FC forward, Siverio, kept hovering around the visiting team’s backline, poking their defensive line to find credible breakthroughs. He came glaringly close to doing so in the 12th minute, teaming with Rei Tachikawa before taking the mantle upon him to launch a fierce shot that landed off target by a slender margin.
Ivan Vukomanovic & Co. pounced upon that missed opportunity of Jamshedpur FC. With 13 goals and three assists, Diamantakos has arguably been the standout striker across all teams of the ISL this season. His strength has rested in making the most of the opportunities coming his way inside the box, demonstrating a poaching tendency that always holds strikers in good stead.
Rahul KP steered the ball forward before playing it on the path of Emmanuel Justine Ojoka who was inside the box. The latter took a deft touch, before directing the ball towards Diamantakos, who deposited it into the net sans any delay.
Jamshedpur FC got their act together soon afterwards, with Tachikawa, Jeremy Manzorro, Imran Khan, and Mohammed Sanan taking turns to tease the Kerala Blasters FC defence.
The Red Miners dominated possession (59%) throughout the game, ensuring that they took 37.5% of their shots on target, as compared to the 23.07% of the away team.
Jamshedpur FC hasn’t been afraid in experimenting different ways to unlock the opposition’s backline under the watch of Khalid Jamil. They testified that through the goal by Siverio, which was set up by defender Elsinho, whose long ball sliced open the Kerala Blasters FC backline.
The Spaniard sprinted smartly to avoid the offside trap, collecting the ball comfortably before converting the chance to notch the goal and capture a point for his side.
Jamshedpur FC will next play Chennaiyin FC on April 4, whereas Kerala Blasters FC will square off against East Bengal FC a day before that, i.e. April 3.
UNI BM AKS