ISL 2017, Match 1: Kerala Blasters vs ATK, 5 Talking Points about the match

#2 Kerala Blasters endure frustrating first half

Rene Muelensteen cut a frustrating figure on the Kerala Blasters bench. (Image Courtesy: ISL)

This wasn't how it was supposed to begin, for God's Own Country. There was a capacity crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. However, it was ATK, who were bossing the match for the entire first half.

Kerala were pegged back from minute one and struggled to get going. The home side were playing on the counter, while the visitors took some brave risks to try and cut open Kerala's defence. The Blasters were on edge and never looked settled on the ball. In fact, they were chasing the game for the entire half.