ISL: Kerala Blasters FC share spoils with NorthEast United FC following 1-1 draw

Kerala Blasters FC shared points with NorthEast United FC following a gripping 11 draw in the Indian Super League ISL at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on SundayAlaeddine Ajaraies goal from a freekick was equalised by Noah Sadaouis stunning strike as the Kerala Blasters FC salvaged a crucial point on the roadRight from kickoff it was a very highintensity match with endtoend football from both sides However the visitors made the more impressive moves with the likes of Sadaoui Jesus Jimenez and Danish Farooq combining in attackKerala Blasters FC almost had the opener when their Moroccan superstar lost his marker and made a telling run down the left flank before finding Farooq in the box Unfortunately the 28yearold failed to make contact with the ball with only the goalkeeper to beatSadaoui kept pushing for the opening goal as he once again dropped a shoulder and rifled an effort from outside the box but it was a whisker away from nestling into the top corner The momentum of the game gradually shifted towards the Highlanders as Jithin MS made a surging run forward before releasing Guillermo Fernandez in space near the penalty boxThe Spaniard only had the keeper to beat but saw his shot saved by Sachin Suresh and brushed the sidenettingA couple of minutes later Guillermo and Ajaraei combined before the latter hammered a grounded effort which forced Sachin Suresh to come up with a sensational save before it brushed off the postAt the start of the second half Mikael Stahre turned to Kwame Peprah to replace Alexandre Coeff as he wanted to add more guile to the attack Kerala Blasters FC started the second essay brightly with Rahul KP getting more involved in play for themAlso Read ISL Odisha FC pips over Jamshedpur FC to register their first win of seasonThe winger had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock following Vibin Mohanans freekick which got deflected and fell right into Rahuls path in the penalty area Unfortunately his effort couldnt test Gurmeet Singh in goalHowever NorthEast United FC made them pay courtesy of a goal from Ajaraei in the 58th minute The Moroccan struck a freekick straight on goal and on any other day Suresh would gather it with ease But the young goalkeeper faltered with his collection as the ball crossed the line awarding NorthEast United FC with the opening goalDespite the goal the visitors kept pushing forward in search of the equaliser Sadaouis mazy runs caused a lot of problems for the Highlanders defence Kerala Blasters FC were eventually rewarded in the 67th minute when substitute Mohammed Aimen released Sadaoui just outside the box The Moroccan superstar glided through a crowd of defenders before rifling his shot into the bottom left corner beating Singh completely in the processThings became slightly more difficult for the hosts when Asheer Akhtar was given the marching orders in the 82nd minute for a tackle on Noah Kerala Blasters FC tried taking full advantage of the situation as Aimen almost came close to scoring twice in quick succession One opportunity saw him go past an onrushing Gurmeet only to get denied by a tackle from Michel ZabacoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever