Teams share spoils after playing out goalless draw
Delhi Dynamos marquee player Alessandro del Piero (right) vies with a Kerala Blasters player during their Indian Super League match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Sunday. The match ended in a goalless draw. - Arunchandra Bose
Kochi: Kerala Blasters’ David James had recently joked that he would like former England manager Kevin Keegan’s style of 4-3 results from his side. If Kerala Blasters and Delhi Dynamos had been sharp in their finishing, that wish could well have come true. But the forwards on both sides misfired to settle for a goalless draw in Round Seven of the Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Sunday. As a result, Kerala and Delhi remained sixth and seventh respectively, in the points table.
But despite their attacking frailties in front of a boisterous 40,000-plus crowd, the Blasters have maintained their unbeaten run at home while Delhi finally put an end to their losing streak in away matches.The visitors’ marquee player Alessandro del Piero, who was celebrating his 40th birthday, played 72 minutes from the start and had the ball at his feet shortly before being substituted. His freekick from 25 yards was but too comfortable for James.
Dynamos’ manager Harm van Veldhoven had a miserable evening and watched the final 15 minutes from the stands after being dismissed by referee Pranjal Banerjee for kicking a water bottle in frustration. James made three changes from the side that edged out FC Goa. Sandesh Jhinghan filled the centre-back void left by Colin Falvey and the addition of Andrew Barisic meant there was no start for a misfiring C.S. Sabeeth.
As usual, Kerala made an assured start thanks to their returning talisman Iain Hume. Stephen Pearson was in sublime form.Australian Barisic found Ishfaq Ahmed, but the winger was denied by the finger tips of Delhi’s lanky custodian Kristof Van Hout. Shortly afterwards, Barisic thought he had scored, but Ishfaq was flagged offside after being found by a ball from the Pearson.
( Source : dc )
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