Stimac hails Sahal, onus on Kerala Blasters midfielder to replicate club form for country. This edition of ISL has thrown up new Indian faces, who have contributed with assists and goals which bodes well for national team. Players like Sahal, who play with a lot of flair and creativity, have been rare to come by in Indian football, at least in the last decade or so. But in the last couple of years, there were concerns if the Kerala Blasters midfielder, who was born and brought up in the UAE, would be able to justify his potential.
That's it!! Kerala Blasters have booked their place in the ISL 2022 final. Jamshedpur were valiant but they fall a bit short. Match ends 1-1 and Kerala Blasters book their spot in their 3rd ISL final by winning 2-1 on aggregate.
Confirmation that 5 minutes have been added to the normal time. The game is now running end-to-end with KBFC with slightly upper hand.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Only 5 minutes of normal time remain for JFC to find a goal. It is now or never for JFC. To be fair, they are knocking on Kerala's doors for a while now but the Tuskers' defense is resolute.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Lalthathanga Khawlhring tries to stop the counterattack as he clips one of JFC fielders and gets into the referees' book.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Adrian Luna takes a free kick but hits it straight to the keeper. On the other end Stewart takes a great free kick for JFC and that landed right on top of Ishan Pandita's head but he gives it straight to the goalkeeper.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Fresh legs for JFC as Alexandre Lima and Narender Gahlot are in for Peter Hartley and Jitendra Singh.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Jorge Diaz has Rahul KP standing free in the middle but he goes for the chip over the keeper. Diaz apologizes for it straightaway.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Another beautiful free kick taken by Greg Stewart. Only one man to aim and Peter Hartley gets to it but fails to get any power behind the ball.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Free kick in a dangerous position for Jamshedpur. Stewart on the ball. This is what Kerala Blasters did not want. Powerful shot and it's punched away by the goalkeeper. Very lucky that Diaz was there to clear this one.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
A couple of changes for JFC now. Mobashir Rahman and Jordan Murray come in for Pronay Halder and Daniel Chukwu.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Jeakson Singh gets into the book after three minutes on the field. He fouls Peter Hartley near the halfway line.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Adrian Luna makes the most of the dead ball and whips in a great cross inside the box from the right side. Marko Leskovic make a superb run from the back post towards the ball. He attack it really well but heads it past the post. It was super close.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
Double substitutions from Kerala Blasters as Jeakson Singh and Rahul KP come in for Ayush Adhikari and Nishu Kumar.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
A positive start by JFC to the second half. The proactive approach by JFC have penned back the KBFC backline. Can they get one back? Yes they can. That's a Gooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll by Pronay Halder. That has been stabbed home by the JFC player.
Kerala 1-1 Jamshedpur
KBFC get us underway in the second half. They will attack from right to left. No changes to made by either side at the start of the second half.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
The way both teams approached the game, it looked like Kerala wanted the win more than Jamshedpur. The way KBFC started, they should've scored 2 or 3 goals more. It felt like JFC were playing with pressure all the time.
Adrian Luna's goal is what separates these two sides now. Jamshedpur have tried but not good enough on this night. Their tails went further down when Chukwu's goal was given offside. Can they turn this around in the second half? Let's wait and watch.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
The officials have added three minutes of added time to end the first half.
JFC have been unable to transitions into the attack really well. Also, they might feel a lot of decisions are not going their way. Now they have apparently fouled the Kerala goalie. Prabhsukhan Gill tries to punch it away but could only lob it above his head. To be fair, JFC players had every right to go for the ball. It was a mistake by the goalkeeper. But JFC are unlucky tonight. Free kick given to Kerala.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
Jamshedpur equalise. It's Chukwu. Kerala Blasters are absolutely furious. No no. It's given offside. Bad break for Jamshedpur. The goal has been disallowed. The linesman does keep the flag down initially but once the KBFC players gather him, he decides to overturn the decision and deems it offside.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
Ayush Adhikari goes into the referee's book. Yellow card. Looked nasty. Wouldn't want to look at that again.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
A change for JFC now to turn this around. PC Laldinpuia comes on for Laldinliana Renthlei.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
Owen Coyle showing his frustration from the sidelines. Greg Stewart whips in a delightful ball from the left flank to the far post. But it evades Eli Sabia in the deep.
Kerela 1-0 Jamshedpur
What a finish by Luna. Just curled this beyond the goalkeeper. Hits the post and went in . Kerala lead 1-0 on the night. 2-0 on aggregate.
Brilliant defending from Peter Hartley! Jorge Diaz on the left flank puts a ball across and Ayush Adhikari is standing at the edge of the box. Peter Hartley though puts his body on the line to block it out.
Alvaro Vazquez comes deep to collect the ball and puts it through to Ayush Adhikari but TP Rehenesh is quick to cut it out.
JFC will start the proceedings in the first half as they kick off with a back pass. What a big, big chance that was. Jorge Diaz tries to win the ball in the attacking half and the ball goes off the deflection to Alvaro Vazquez who has all the time in the world to line one up. He is 1 on 1 against the keeper and tries to be cheeky as he chips this over TP Rehenesh but the ball rolls just wide of the left post. A huge chance missed by KBFC.
So, here's the deal. Jamshedpur have to score a goal to drag this to extra time and penalties. If they can win this match outright, there's nothing like it. But if the match is a draw, Kerala will qualify for the final on aggregate.
We are just moments away from the kickoff.
Kerala Blasters have gone for the usual 4-4-2 formation which has served them so well this season. Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, have gone for 4-2-3-1 formation.
Jamshedpur FC – a perennial mid-table side in Indian football that finished sixth last season, operates on a moderate budget and has modest talent – won the League Winners Shield with a 1-0 win over heavyweights ATK Mohun Bagan.
(READ MORE)
Here's what transpired when the two sides last played against each other.
In the first leg, Greg Stewart created two chances and attempted 40 passes, maintaining an accuracy of 70%, and had 53 touches. Moreover, the Scotsman took four corners and six freekicks.
The goalie is always considered to be the last line of defence. Who will prevail tonight?
After nearly 2 seasons of playing behind closed doors, the fans will finally get to be back in the stands for the Final match.
Igor Stimac is unlike a lot of coaches. He isn’t shy of talking about individual players on public forums – hyping them up, or even declaring who his favourites are in the team – like some of his contemporaries are. He couldn’t stop gushing about Sahal Abdul Samad, a player everyone has been raving about in the Indian Super League. Samad's lone goal in the first leg differentiates the two sides.
(READ MORE)
Let's get to know what the coaches have to say before the mammoth clash.
Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC have played each other 10 times, with the Blasters winning 2 times and Jamshedpur FC winning thrice. Both team have played out 6 draws.
Greg Stewart: 10 goals and 10 assists in 20 matches this season - Greg Stewart has been in a league of his own. That being said, he had a below average day at the office in the last game, where he only managed to create a couple of chances and failed to get a shot in the stipulated time. But, great players have the tendency to make it big in crunch matches, which is why he will be a lethal force in Tuesday’s game.
Ritwik Kumar Das: The youngster came out of his shell in the business end of the league and synchronised with Jamshedpur FC’s dream run en-route semi-finals. In the last six matches, Ritwik has scored four times and assisted once, including the crucial goal that helped the Men of Steel claim the coveted ISL League Winners’ Shield. With momentum by his side, the Indian forward is quite capable of making a difference in the upcoming game.
Adrian Luna: The main architect in the Kerala Blasters FC unit, Adrian Luna has scored five times and assisted on seven other occasions in the Hero ISL 2021-22 so far. Despite taking two shots on target, he was not as effective as per his reputation in the first leg. Given the big match player he is, there is no doubt that Luna will hold the cards for the Blasters in the second leg and possibly steer them to the final.
Sahal Abdul Samad: After a slow start to the season, the Indian gathered momentum going along, as he struck six and assisted once so far, making him the one of the influential members of the campaign. Sahal’s sharp presence of mind helped him score a brilliant goal in the first leg, which has given his team the advantage ahead of the deciding tie. With a stiff challenge ahead, the playmaker is likely to play a key role once again.
Jamshedpur FC - WWWWL
It was a few days back that Jamshedpur FC created a Hero ISL record, having won seven games in a row. However, their streak was derailed by a spirited Kerala Blasters FC in the first leg of the first semi-final, as they succumbed to a solitary goal by Sahal Abdul Samad.
Kerala Blasters FC - LWWDW
The Blasters have won three, lost once and drawn the remaining of their last five matches this season. Their win over Jamshedpur FC in the first leg will definitely give them a psychological edge going into game, as they aim to qualify for the final after a gap of six years.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the second leg of the ISL semifinal between Jamshedpur FC and Kerala Blasters FC. Jamshedpur FC will be aiming to overturn a one-goal deficit and qualify for the summit clash as they take on an upbeat Kerala Blasters FC at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, in Vasco, on Tuesday evening.