Bottom of the table side East Bengal FC held a struggling Kerala Blasters to a 1-1 draw in a game riddled with controversial decisions. Their latest draw means the Blasters are on a run of just one win in five.
Ivan Vukomanovic’s KBFC dominated territorially against bottom-of-the-table East Bengal. However, they were held to a 1-1 draw by their opponents in a game that had its share of controversial moments.
The first big talking point of the game arrived in the 15th minute when Lalthathanga Khawlhring’s long-distance shot hit the arm of Amarjit Singh Kiyam and fell kindly into the feet of Alvaro Vazquez – who scored past Sankar Roy from an onside position. But, by the time the ball hit the net, the referee had blown his whistle for the previous handball, overruling Kerala’s advantage.
The Blasters were rewarded a free-kick on the edge of the box, through which Marko Leskovic hit the side netting. Meanwhile, having survived a scare, East Bengal immediately countered with their first coherent attack of the night, which resulted in Antonio Perosevic deriving a fine save from Prabhsukhan Gill.
The opening goal of the game arrived in the 37th minute, and it was East Bengal who took the lead. Raju Gaikward’s long throw into the box was flicked past Gill by defender Tomislav Mrcela, who, seven minutes later, inadvertently deflected a Vazquez shot away from his goalkeeper to make the scores level again. The goal, on this occasion, was credited to the Spaniard.
Both teams continued to look for the opening goal after the interval, resulting in some speculative shots from distance. Hira Mondal and Perosevic tried their luck for EBFC, while Vazquez did the same for the opposition. Another set of controversial decisions hit the game in the closing stages. First, Mrcela was incorrectly adjudged offside as he hit the bar from close range.
Minutes later, Jorge Pereyra Diaz had the ball in the back of the net for Kerala, but the referee blew his whistle for an apparent foul inside the box. The Blasters then were forced to defend a late onslaught by the Red and Gold Brigade, but they emerged unscathed – and with a point.
