A match of two halves ended with Jamshedpur FC holding Kerala Blasters FC to an exciting 2-2 draw at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Monday. An inspired cameo performance from Seiminlen Doungel brought the away side back into the tie after they trailed by two goals at half-time.

• Tim Cahill bagged his first Hero ISL goal with a bullet header in the 3^rd minute.
• Michael Soosairaj doubled the hosts’ advantage at the half-hour mark.
• Slavisla Stojanovic missed a penalty but redeemed himself with a brilliant volley.
• CK Vineeth tapped in to equalise for the Blasters late in the match.

Before the game, Jamshedpur head coach Cesar Ferrando had suggested that iconic signing Tim Cahill was only 70% fit and lacked match sharpness. However, if the first five minutes are anything to go by, the legendary Australian looked fitter than most. Getting ahead of his marker to an inviting Sergio Cidoncha corner, Cahill produced a thunderous header to open his Hero ISL scoring account.

The home side made five changes to the team that drew away at NorthEast, bringing in an entirely new attacking line-up. This however, didn’t hinder their play in the opposition half as Soosairaj combined well with Cahill in the 20^th minute to get a decent look in on goal. Although the winger’s shot failed to hit the target, the Blasters’ defence looked rattled giving Ferrando’s men more than enough encouragement to get at them.

That was exactly the case 10 minutes later. The influential Cidoncha pulled off a clever dummy from a Jamshedpur throw-in deep in Kerala territory, allowing Soosairaj with time and space to properly execute a magnificent curler past a diving Naveen Kumar.

A two-goal lead at half-time did not flatter the home side one bit since they created more clear-cut chances and did far more with the ball compared to their opponents despite having less possession. The Blasters, on the other hand, didn’t even manage a single shot on goal in the first 45.

Beginning the second half at a much higher tempo compared to the first, the Blasters almost scored with their first shot on target in the 50^th minute, when some neat footwork and combination play between substitute Sahal Abdul Samad and Matej Poplatnik saw the Slovenian just brush the top of the crossbar.

Kerala were then handed a lifeline when Sanjay Balmuchu’s ill-timed tackle on Stojanovic inside his own box left the referee with no option but to point to the spot. Taking responsibility with his team in need, Stojanovic’s spot-kick failed to find the corner making Subrata Paul’s task easier than he would have anticipated.

To their credit, the visitors pushed on and finally got their reward for a fine second half display in the 71^st minute courtesy of an inspired substitution by the Blasters head coach. On in place of Halicharan Narzary, Seiminlen Doungel showed great desire, shrugging off Yumnam Raju before cutting the ball back for Stojanovic. The Serbian made no mistake this time around, finishing emphatically with his left foot to help Kerala get back into the match.

The rapid Doungel was on hand to assist the Blasters’ equaliser too, as he ran at the tired Jamshedpur defence, and delivered a pin-point cutback for Vineeth to do the needful from eight yards out, thus earning the visitors a well-deserved point.

HERO OF THE MATCH

Seiminlen Doungel’s substitution payed off bigtime for David James’ side. The winger was a constant threat when he came on, causing all sorts of problems for the Jamshedpur backline. Doungel provided two stunning second half assist, to get his side back into the match and claim a point.

MATCH AWARDS

Club Award – Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters FC

Swift Limitless Player of the Match –Sergio Cidoncha

DHL Winning Pass of the Match – Seiminlen Doungel

ISL Emerging Player of the Match – Michael Soosairaj

Hero of the Match - Seiminlen Doungel

WHAT’S NEXT?

Jamshedpur host free-scoring Goa on November 1 for their next fixture while Kerala Blasters travel to Pune to face the Stallions on Friday, November 2.

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