The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 season opener ended in a goalless draw between hosts Kerala Blasters FC and defending Champions ATK at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. ATK did enjoy more possession and dominated play but Kerala held their ground to ensure they ended their first home match of the season by securing a point.

On being asked by reporters in the post-match press conference about Kerala’s overall performance, coach Rene Meulensteen replied, “I’m happy with the clean sheet and not conceding a goal. Obviously, we were close to conceding by hitting the post bar but other than that we defended fairly well. ATK played a good game. It should have gone a bit better on a few occasions with the ball. A little bit more composure, a little bit more quality. If you look at the last 15-20 minutes of the first half, we started to move the ball around and started creating chances. (In the) Second half, we had a few breakaways. But the fourth, we missed the mark in the final third to put the final ball in the final cross to make things happen in front of the box. It’s early days, that’s where we have to work on, that’s where we have to improve, but overall I think we put a fantastic shift. We played well under the circumstances. I think (our) players lost a few kilos, but it’s a good point to build on.”

He further added, “Players are still getting used to each other. Two players who started today, we did not really have them during the training. It’s all about players getting used to each other to understand each other’s play, trust each other and looking for each other at times. Hopefully, that will come with the coming games. More they play together, we’ll settle in hopefully.”

Meulensteen heaped praises on his two main defenders of the night, captain Sandesh Jhingan and Nemanja Lakic Pesic, who ably steadied Kerala’s defensive boat in the absence of Wes Brown, who missed the opener due to a tight calf and was rested for the same. He was also impressed with midfielder Arata Izumi’s gameplay. “Arata has played in the ISL before in various positions. He’s got a good understanding of the game,” he said.

Kerala star forward, Iain Hume also reflected the same thoughts as the head coach. “If you watched that (the match), it was similar to last year’s final. Both teams didn’t want to lose. Obviously, there are a lot of players from both teams who haven’t played in the ISL. They didn’t want to take risks, they didn’t want to be caught out and I think they (ATK) hit the post as well and I think honestly, they (ATK) had a lot of possession. Apart from that, they didn’t create a lot. I think the draw was a fair result. We kept a clean sheet, they kept a clean sheet. They had positives and so did we,” he said.

Apart from what was happening on the field between the 22 players, another aspect that caught everyone’s attention was the rousing Kerala crowd who had painted the entire stadium yellow. Meulensteen was pleasantly surprised and shared, “I’ve never witnessed a ceremony put so well together. It was something to be proud of for the whole of India, ISL and Kerala. Something that will go all over the world, so well done. Fantastic!” Fan favourite Hume also voiced the same sentiments, “It’s (the crowd) phenomenal, especially being the opening ceremony. It’s a wonderful atmosphere. I can say that there is nothing I have witnessed in world football compared to the fans here,” he concluded.