NorthEast United FC held Kerala Blasters FC to a 1-1 draw in their Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday. Bartholomew Ogbeche gave the hosts the lead in the first half after converting from a penalty, but Asamoah Gyan scored the equaliser in the second half, again from the spot. With the point tonight, the Highlanders are now just two points adrift of the fourth spot but do have a game in hand.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, NorthEast United head coach, Robert Jarni analysed the game and said, “I am really angry, happy and sad. We had a lot of chances. We played fantastic but we didn’t score. We are a very young team and I’m really proud of all the players in the dressing room.”

Gyan, who came back into the team after missing the last match with an injury, was an inspirational figure for the team and scored the equaliser as well. Citing how the Ghanaian talisman has been influential for the side both on and off the pitch this season, Jarni noted, “Asamoah is a really good guy. He is creating a really good atmosphere in the dressing room. We are working hard and he is working hard as well. He is also the leader in the team.”

Finally, the Croatian felt his players needed to focus on the next match for now instead of thinking about the semi-finals. He stated, “We have very good group of young players. We are now only focusing on the matches that are coming. We are preparing only for the next match.”

Read the Match Report here.