ISL 2020-21 NEUFC – Kerala Blasters Match ends in 2-2 Draw : NorthEast United came back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a point from Kerala Blasters in their second game of the Indian Super League (ISL) season on Thursday in Bambolim.
Substitute Idrissa Sylla equalised in the dying moments to help NorthEast United hold Kerala Blasters to a 2-2 draw in an Indian Super League game.Goals from Sergio Cidoncha (5th minute) and Gary Hooper (45th) gave Kerala a 2-0 lead at the break.
But Ghanaian striker Kwesi Appiah (51st) reduced the margin before Sylla’s injury time equaliser enabled NorthEast to go home with a point in their kitty.
After a minute’s silence to honour late Diego Maradona, Kerala got off to a dream start with Cidoncha heading in a Seityasen free-kick in the 5th minute.
The Spaniard’s looped header was a thing of beauty no goalkeeper in the world could have saved that.
Sahal Abdul Samad’s absence had meant that Cidoncha was playing higher up and that strategy worked a treat.
In the 23rd minute, Hooper fluffed a sitter when NorthEast’s defense was caught off guard.
Cidoncha, after receiving the ball from Hooper, squared it back to him, with the Englishman facing an open goal. Hooper’s first-time shot, though, blazed over the bar.
Both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances until the end of the first half when an offensive move from Kerala ended with the referee pointing to the spot.
Rakesh Pradhan was rather harshly adjudged to have slashed Lalthathanga Khawlhring down. Hooper fired the resulting penalty straight down the middle.
NorthEast keeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury managed to get a foot to it, but the touch wasn’t enough to keep the ball out.
The Highlanders started the second-half positively and were soon rewarded for their intent. Some poor defending by Kerala allowed Appiah to score from close range.
However, Appiah turned villain later when NorthEast were awarded a penalty in the 65th minute.
The Ghanian tried to find Lalengmawia, but the latter was brought down in the box by Jessel Carneiro.
Appiah stepped up to take the penalty but his spot-kick hit the crossbar before ricocheting out.
Minutes after his miss, Appiah was replaced by Guinean forward Sylla who would go on to have a major influence on the game.
Nus’ side kept knocking on the door and were soon rewarded for their efforts.
Sylla missed a chance to draw level in the 83rd minute when he directed a header over the bar.
But he made up for that in injury time, superbly controlling a long ball from Gurjinder Kumar with his chest before powering home past Kerala keeper Albino Gomes.
In the end, the draw ensured that NorthEast remained unbeaten after two games.
ISL 2020-21 Points Table:
| Club | P | W | L | D | GA | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chennaiyin FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | ATK Mohun | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Hyderabad FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Northeast United | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Mumbai City FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | Bengaluru FC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | FC Goa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
| 8 | SC East Bengal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Jamshedpur | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 |
| 10 | Kerala Blasters | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 1 |
| 11 | Odisha FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
9.35pm:
𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 @NEUtdFC!
Idrissa Sylla with a late strike against Kerala Blasters to make it 2-2 and secure a point!
Report: https://t.co/6p59vJZVoG#ISL #KBFCNEU #NEUFC #KBFC pic.twitter.com/xom59w5CzC
— Goal India (@Goal_India) November 26, 2020
FULL TIME: Kerala Blasters 2 – 2 NorthEast United FC
90+5′ Blasters win a late free-kick that is floated in by Seityasen, but nothing comes off it.
90+4′ Late corner for NorthEast United here! Could we have a winner here? Nope, no chances made here.
90+3′ Britto goes for spectacular but his strike sails into the empty stands.
90+1′ Replays show that Sylla was a tad offside…but NorthEast United will take the goal.
9.29pm:
GOAL 90′ | #KBFCNEU
Sylla latches on to a long pass, shows immense control in front of 🥅 and brings @NEUtdFC level 🔥
KBFC 2-2 NEU#HeroISL #LetsFootball
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 26, 2020
90′ GOAAAAAAAAL! Sylla equalises for NorthEast United FC! A long ball finds Sylla in the box and he does oh-so-well to chest the ball down and then unleash a ferocious strike.
9.23pm:
90′ | Goal. Sylla equalises for the visitors.
KBFC 2-2 NEUFC#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
85′ NorthEast United throwing men ahead here as one lob after another is floated down the pitch, but to no avail yet.
9.18pm:
85′ | A corner in the attacking half! 5 minutes to go.
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
83′ Sylla with a decent header as he connects well with a long ball, but he fails to trouble the Blasters ‘keeper.
81′ Yet another change here as Jordan Murray takes Gary Hooper’s place on the pitch.
9.15pm:
81′ | 10 mins to go! Come on boys!
KBFC 2-1 NEU#KBFCNEU #StrongerAsOne
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
77′ That’s shabby. Ashutosh Mehta gives the ball away cheaply with a fowl throw-in.
77′ Change for NorthEast United FC – Meetei is replaced by Lalrempuia Fanai.
9.10pm:
75′ | Into the 75th, with the score 2-1 in favor of the home team. This looks set for a grand stand finish!
Ninthoi replaced by Fanai at the drinks break there. #KBFCNEU
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
72′ Gerard Nus finally manages to make the substitutions as Idrissa Sylla and Luis Machado come on for Kwesi Appiah and Federico Gallego.
9.06pm:
Here’s that chance.
Watch #KBFCNEU LIVE on @DisneyplusHSVIP – https://t.co/FgihsdMmvx and @OfficialJioTV.
For live updates 👉 https://t.co/GXvZa9mBRO#ISLMoments #HeroISL #LetsFootball https://t.co/I6XA8lQKV4 pic.twitter.com/WXwYSWskhJ
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 26, 2020
9.05pm:
70′ | Kibu makes two more changes, as the skipper leaves the field after getting on the scoresheet! 🔁
⬅️ Cido, Rohit
➡️ Facundo, Jeakson#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
67′ Penalty missed! Appaiah steps up to take the spot-kick but his strike goes off the crossbar. What a chance that was for NorthEast to restore parity!
66′ PENALTY! NorthEast United has a chance now.
8.58pm:
64′ | First change in personnel for the Blasters! 🔁
⬅️ Puitea
➡️ Prasanth#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
59′ The corner, which was re-taken, is wasted by NorthEast as the referee blows the whistle for off-the-ball pushing and shoving in the box.
57′ Britto shoots from distance and forces Albino to make a diving save. Corner to NorthEast!
52′ The Blasters defence is caught napping as a corner from the left simply floats across goal. Appiah was the first to react at the far post as he tried to shoulder nudge the ball in his first attempt but could not get past Hooper. The Ghanaian bundled the ball home in the second attempt.
8.51pm:
52′ |
GAME ON! It’s @kwes1appiah on the score-sheet again to pull one back for the Highlanders!
KBFC 2-1 NEU#StrongerAsOne #KBFCNEU pic.twitter.com/3V263HtNNV
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
51′ Appiah strikes for NorthEast United! Appiah shows excellent reflexes to nudge the ball into the net and bring his side back into the game.
8.46pm:
51′ | Goal. Appiah gets one back for the visitors.
KBFC 2-1 NEUFC#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
49′ Seityasen is shown a yellow card for time-wasting.
46′ KICK-OFF! And the second half gets underway. NorthEast United coach Gerard Nus makes his first change of the evening as Britto comes on for Rakesh Pradhan.
8.29pm:
HT’ | Not the kind of scoreline we would have wanted at the break, but there’s still plenty to play for in the 2nd half! Let’s chin up and get back in this. #StrongerAsOne #KBFCNEU pic.twitter.com/CY5TLl1aq1
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
45+2′ Costa does extremely well to deny Appiah a shot here. Pradhan plays a teasing cross and all Appiah had to do was side-foot it, but Costa made a wonderful sliding tackle to clear the danger.
45+1′ Hooper scores for Blasters! He shoots it straight down the middle and the ‘keeper gets a foot to it, but can’t keep it out. Blasters lead 2-0 going into the interval!
45′ PENALTY! Pradhan brings Puitea down in the box and its a penalty to Kerala Blasters!
8.24pm:
45+1′ | GOAL!!! Puitea wins a penalty after being brought down in the box which Hooper calmly converts for his first goal in 🟡!#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow pic.twitter.com/Wz7ZUa9ks1
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
8.20pm:
46′ | KBFC take a 2-0 lead. Hooper converts from the spot#KBFCNEU
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
8.18pm:
43′ | 2 mins to go for HT. An equalizer here would be a big BONUS to take into the dressing room.
KBFC 1-0 NEU #StrongerAsOne
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
8.13pm:
37′ | Rohit Kumar gets booked for a challenge on Apuia. 🟡#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
35′ Camara does well to pick up Costa’s poor pass and lets one rip from distance. The shot is deflected NorthEast has a corner.
8.11pm:
A trademark celebration 👀
Watch #KBFCNEU LIVE on @DisneyplusHSVIP – https://t.co/FgihsduL6X and @OfficialJioTV.
For live updates 👉 https://t.co/GXvZa950te#ISLMoments #HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/qjUGtTJiSj
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 26, 2020
30′ Fantastic chance for NorthEast United! Gallego threads a fine through ball for Ashutosh, who gets off a strong shot but can’t find the target.
8.06pm:
30′ | Into the drinks break with an exciting build-up between Fede and Ashu! That’s more of what we want to see. 💥
The home team still lead by a solitary goal. #KBFCNEU #StrongerAsOne
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
27′ Nishu Kumar, sporting a very interesting hairdo today, has been very good so far. Possibly the busiest player on the pitch!
24′ Hooper misses a sitter! The Englishman latches on to Camara’s poor back pass and plays it to Cidoncha on the left. The Blasters skipper squares it for Hooper, but he skies his attempt from less than six yards out. That’s a strong contender for the miss of the season!
21′ Well done by Fox there. Puitea wriggles past his man to craft a decent lob towards Hooper, but Fox is alert to clear the danger.
19′ Gallego struggling for service and support so far…he’s not had an impact on this game just yet and hasn’t seen much of the ball.
14′ Good movement here from Cidoncha as he dribbles his way into the box and tries to square it for Hooper, but the Blasters defence is up to the task.
7.51pm:
Who better to take us off the mark for the season than our captain? 😍#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow pic.twitter.com/oa8Z1ijVZy
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
12′ Blasters has seen more of the ball so far, but the game is yet to fully get going. Too many silly fouls all around the pitch.
7′ Credit to Cidoncha for that brilliant goal, but Ashutosh Mehta ought to have done better there. He left Cidoncha completely unmarked, allowing him a free header.
7.42pm:
5′ | GOAL!!! The skipper heads in after a delicious ball in by Seityasen!
KBFC 1-0 NEUFC#KBFCNEU #YennumYellow pic.twitter.com/4geB0moskM
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
5′ GOAAAAL! Cidoncha scores a terrific header to put Kerala Blasters head.
3′ First move of the game. Gallego floats a curling free-kick into the box towards Dylan Fox, but the latter can’t get to the ball.
1′ KICK-OFF! The players observe two minutes of silence to honour Diego Maradona, who passed away yesterday after suffering a cardiac arrest.
7.35pm:
1′ KICK-OFF | #KBFCNEU
We are underway in Bambolim!
Watch #KBFCNEU LIVE on @DisneyplusHSVIP – https://t.co/FgihsduL6X and @OfficialJioTV.
For live updates 👉 https://t.co/GXvZa950te#HeroISL #LetsFootball
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 26, 2020
7:28pm: The players are out on the pitch and the national anthem has been played. Two minutes to kick-off!
💯 #HeroISL matches for @NEUtdFC 🙌
Congratulations 🎉#KBFCNEU #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/aQu4gSSdOS
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 26, 2020
7.25pm:
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 26, 2020
7:20pm: In the 12 times they have faced each other, NorthEast has never scored more than two goals against Kerala Blasters. Can Kwesi Appiah change that trend today?
7.12pm:
A look into how our opposition shape up tonight 👀#KBFCNEU https://t.co/w6VAYt6u3n
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
7pm: Both teams have opted to use their full quota of five overseas player in the playing XI. Here’s all you need to know about both teams’ foreigners
6:50pm: Nishu Kumar, who moved to Kerala Blasters from Bengaluru FC this season, makes his debut for the club along with Rohit Kumar. Sahal Abdul Samad isn’t in today’s squad list.
6:39pm: LINE UPS!
KBFC XI: Albino Gomes (GK), Bakary Kone, Nishu Kumar, Jessel Carneiro, Costa Nhamoinesu, Sergio Cidoncha, Vicente Gomez, Seityasen Singh, Rohit Kumar, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Gary Hooper
NEUFC XI: Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (GK), Gurjinder Kumar, Rakesh Pradhan, Benjamin Lambot (C), Dylan Fox, Ashutosh Mehta, Khassa Camara, Lalengmawia, Federico Gallego , Kwesi Appiah, Ninthoinganba Meetei
6.38pm Check out the Playing11 of Kerala Blasters FC:
Debut for Nishu and Rohit as the boss makes 4⃣ changes tonight! #KBFCNEU #YennumYellow pic.twitter.com/5a9M2xgoF9
— K e r a l a B l a s t e r s F C (@KeralaBlasters) November 26, 2020
KBFC subs: Prabhsukhan, Ruatthara, Denechandram, Ritwik, Naorem, Jeakson, Facundo, Prasanth, Jordan.
NEUFC subs: Gurmeet, Nim Dorjee, Nabin, Lakra, Imran, Britto, Fanai, Idrissa, Machado.
— Goal India (@Goal_India) November 26, 2020
Ready for Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United? ⚡
Nishu, Gallego start for their teams! 🙌
Sahal missing from the squad!#ISL #KBFC #NEUFC #KBFCNEU pic.twitter.com/K8e5TFWfmj
— Goal India (@Goal_India) November 26, 2020
6:10pm: KBFC and NEUFC have clashed in the ISL on 12 occasions, with the Blasters winning five of those matches. Here’s the complete H2H record between these two teams
6pm: Kerala Blasters had plenty of problems in the final third in its opener against ATK Mohun Bagan but coach Kibu Vicuna sees the clash match against NorthEast United as a new opportunity.
Kerala Blasters FC will be squaring off against NorthEast United FC at GMC Stadium in the 7th match of ISL season 7 campaign on November 26th at GMC Stadium, Bambolim.
While Kerala Blasters lost their season opener against defending champions ATK MB, NorthEast United FC will be brimming with confidence after upsetting a star-studded Mumbai City FC lineup.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Total Matches Played: 12
Kerala Blasters Won: 05
NEUFC Won: 03
Kerala Blasters lost: 03
NEUFC lost FC: 05
Match Tied: 04
NO Results: 00
Total Goals: 19
Kerala Blasters: 12
NEUFC: 7
When and Where to watch Kerala Blasters vs NEUFC :
When does Kerala Blasters vs NEUFC kick off? Thursday, 26th November, 7.30pm IST
Where is Kerala Blasters vs NEUFC being played? GMC Stadium, Goa
What TV channel is Kerala Blasters vs NEUFC ?
Kerala Blasters vs NEUFC and other round 1 fixtures of ISL 2020-21 will be broadcast live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports 1 Hindi and their respective HD TV channels in India.
Online live streaming of Kerala Blasters vs NEUFC will be available on Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV.
Kerala Blasters Team News:
The 2020–21 Kerala Blasters FC season will be the seventh season in the history of Indian Super League, since their establishment in 2014. The 2019-20 edition of the ISL was not the best of outings for the Kerala Blasters.
The last two seasons have ended up in heart-break for the Kerala Blasters, ending up on 9th in 2018-19 and seventh in 2019-20. The club management has opted for a ground-up rebuild. There was collateral damage as well with top goalscorer Bartholomew Ogbeche, being released along with head coach Eelco Schattorie.
In the 2020-21 ISL season, there have been as many as 13 new signings, with several more expected before the league starts. KBFC-team has a great blend of youth and experience along with a proven coach in Kibu Vicuna.
They seem like one of the most balanced teams in the Indian top-flight on paper. Despite partying ways with their defensive lynchpin Sandesh Jhingan, they have bolstered their backline with two solid foreign imports in Zimbabwean Costa Nhamoinesu and former PSG defender Bakary Kone.
They also roped in left-back Nishu Kumar from Bengaluru FC on a four-year deal and made him the highest-paid Indian defender of all-time. Spanish holding midfielder Vicente Gomez penned a bumper three-year contract in the summer and will be extremely crucial to the team’s progression this season.
Their stellar young trio of Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahul KP and Jeakson Singh has already grabbed eyeballs and will be keen on nailing down a starting spot in the team. KBFC has a biggest signing of English striker Gary Hooper, who is a former Celtic and Norwich City front-man is a lethal goal-poacher and has netted over 200 goals in his decade-long professional career.
NEUFC Team News:
The 2020–21 NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) season will be the seventh season in the history of Indian Super League since their establishment in 2014. Although the team recently qualified for the playoffs (in the 2018-19 season), it has finished bottom of the table twice. The team is coached by the newly appointed Spaniard Gerard Nus for the 2020-21 ISL season. He is the youngest head-coach in the ISL, and will be looking to make his mark in his first job as a head coach since leaving the Ghana national team in 2017. He has a lot of experience in his career as coach.
Attacking midfielder Federio Gallego will continue for a third successive season while the management has roped in fresh six overseas faces, namely Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Khassa Camara, Luis Machado, Idrissa Sylla, and Kwesi Appiah. Striker Kwesi Appiah, who has Premier League and Championship experience from England, is the biggest signing for the new campaign. Idrissa Sylla and Luis Machado add depth to its attack. Britto PM and VP Suhair join NEUFC after a successful season with Mohun Bagan in the I-League. Mizoram-born Lalkhawpuimawia was among the goals at Churchill Brothers last season.
Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United FC Prediction
The analytics shows that NorthEast United FC has clear supremacy over Kerala Blasters FC. In KBFC-team, top goalscorer Bartholomew Ogbeche were moved to Mumbai City FC team. So, it is a major departure for KBFC team. But, KBFC-team has arrival of an experienced head-coach Kibu Vicuna and the other signings of some talents players like Gary Hooper, Bakery Kone, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahul KP and Seityasen Singh will be the advantage for their team.
PREDICTED PLAYING 11 Kerala Blasters Vs NorthEast United FC
Kerala Blasters FC: Albino Gomes, Costa Nhamoinesu, Bakary Koné, Jessel Carneiro, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, Sahal Abdul Samad, Sergio Cidoncha, Vicente Gómez, Gary Hooper, Nongdamba Naorem, Ritwik Kumar Das
NorthEast United FC: Subhasish Roy, Dylan Fox, Benjamin Lambot, Gurjinder Kumar, Ashutosh Mehta, Khassa Camara, Lalengmawia, Fanai Lalrempuia, Kwesi Appiah, Luís Machado, Ninthoinganba Meetei
FC Goa
DREAM 11 Predictions
CAPTAIN- Gary Hooper
VICE CAPTAIN- Luis Machado
GOALKEEPER- Subrata Roy
DEFENDERS- B. Lambot, D.Fox, B. Kone
MIDFIELDERS- K. Camara, S. Cidoncha, Sahal Abdul Samad, V. Gomez
FORWARDS- L. Machado, K.Appiah, G. Hooper
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