ISL 2020-21 Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur FC HIGHLIGHTS: Kerala Blasters settled for a 0-0 draw with Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 during Match No.73 at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Wednesday. It was a frustrating night for the Blasters as they hit the post thrice and missed a number of opportunities and had to settle for just a point. Kerala Blasters have a number of chances, go close so many times but they just can't find the finish. Jordan Murray has a beautiful chance off a perfect curling pass from Puitea but heads it just wide. Kerala have had more of the ball possession since the second half began. Kerala Blasters will consider themselves unlucky as Gary Hooper and Puitea hit the crossbar and Rehenesh also denied Jordan Murray. Both teams are having a go at each other but Jamshedpur FC have had slightly better chances. Puitea gets a start for Kerala Blasters while Jordan Murray is back in the starting XI as well. Kerala are missing Rahul KP and Jeakson Singh due to suspension. Jamshedpur FC have Farukh and Len starting again. Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC will both be going for a win here as the Blasters look to keep up the momentum they have gained recently while Jamshedpur eye getting back to winning ways.
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Both Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC have 14 points after 13 games and are at the ninth and eighth place in the league table, respectively. Both teams will want a win and no less here in order to leapfrog three and two teams, respectively to sixth spot in the standings. Kerala have two wins, two draws and one loss in their last five games while Jamshedpur FC drew their previous game before which they lost three consecutive matches. The last meeting between the two sides witnessed a five-goal thriller that Kerala won. And with a lot at stake on Wednesday, more of the same could be in store.
Kerala Blasters assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed, who will be filling in for their suspended coach Kibu Vicuna, is hopeful of more clean sheets coming their way. "We had two clean sheets and the reason is, other teams also play football and they want to score," he said. "In the first half of the season, we know that we didn't have a great start. We missed some crucial players in many matches but that is in the past now. We have been playing better football now. It's always a personal goal for our team and the goalkeeper (Albino Gomes) to keep more clean sheets as they can make you win the championship. Albino is trying and he is doing his job. Hopefully, the whole team will support him and we manage to keep more clean sheets by the end of the season."
Despite shipping goals often, Kerala will be proud of their exploits in the attacking third with only Mumbai City FC and FC Goa having scored more goals than them. Also, 9 different players have been among the goals - most by a team. In contrast, Jamshedpur have not been the most efficient in terms of scoring goals. They have netted only on 13 occasions, which is the third worst-tally in the league alongside bottom-placed SC East Bengal. They struggled to score in their goalless draw against Hyderabad FC in the previous game, but one major takeaway for Owen Coyle was the attacking intent his side displayed. "With Farukh (Choudhary) and Len Doungel coming in, they added great dimension to our forward play and it was evident in the Hyderabad game," he said. "That was a real positive. We saw that we were a more attack-minded team, going for the three points and wanted that momentum."
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