FC Pune City picked up their second point of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 with a 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters FC at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Friday.

• Marko Stankovic opened the scoring for Pune with a stunning left-footed drive in the 13^th minute.
• Emiliano Alfaro missed a penalty for Pune in the 57^th minute.
• Nikola Krcmarevic bagged his first goal of the season for Kerala in the 61^st minute.

With Kerala dominating proceedings from the get-go, it looked like Pune would suffer another damaging defeat. However, against the run of play the Stallions opened the scoring with a stunning effort from Stankovic. The Austrian picked up the ball from 25-yards out before beating his man and striking an-inch perfect drive into the top corner. A few minutes later though, the midfielder had to be taken off due to a calf injury.

Despite the setback, Kerala still marched forward in search of their first goal. They almost got the equaliser when Krcmarevic got on the end of a cross from Cyril Kali. His header beat Kamaljit Singh in goal but was just wide of the far post.

The end of the first period was mired in controversy when the visitors thought they had equalised through Krcmarevic. After a huge scramble in the box, the ball fell to the midfielder who tried poking the ball from inside the six-yard-box. With three players fighting for the ball on the goal-line, it seemed as though Krcmarevic had prodded the ball inside. However, after deliberation between the referee and the linesman, a free-kick was awarded in Pune’s favour, much to the dismay of the Kerala faithful.

Kerala’s misfortunes continued in the beginning of the second half when the referee awarded a penalty to Pune after Alfaro was adjudged to have been illegally brought down inside the box. But the Uruguayan forward fluffed his lines from the spot for a second consecutive match, this time smashing the crossbar.

Parity was finally restored just after the hour mark when Krcmarevic eventually got his name on the scoresheet. This time the Serbian midfielder made sure the ball crossed the line, finishing from 12 yards out after Pune failed to clear their lines from a corner.

As the half progressed, both sides tried finding that all-important winner. The Blasters did have one chance in the final minute of normal time when a deep cross from Halicharan Narzary found Slavisla Stojanovic at the far post. However, the forward was unable to direct his header on target, hitting the side-netting in the process. In the end David James and Co. had to settle for their fourth draw of the campaign.

Watch the match highlights here:

HERO OF THE MATCH- Adil Khan

The midfielder put in an impressive shift in the centre of the park with his strong running and intelligent play. His ability to hold the ball and prevent Kerala from making inroads into their backline was one of the main reasons why the Stallions were able to salvage a point.

MATCH AWARDS

Club Award – FC Pune City and Kerala Blasters FC 

Swift Limitless Player of the Match – Nikola Krcmarevic

DHL Winning Pass of the Match – Marko Stankovic 

ISL Emerging Player of the Match – Kamaljit Singh 

Hero of the Match – Adil Khan 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Kerala will host Bengaluru next in a crunch tie on November 5, while Pune host defending champions Chennaiyin FC in their next fixture on November 6.

Visit our videos section to view the match highlights and the photos section for exclusive images from the match.