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Ashique impresses in his home state
Kerala boy Ashique Kuruniyan featured for Pune City in this match down the right flank. The 20-year-old who is from Mallapuram, a hotbed of football in Kerala, got a chance to shine in front of his home fans on Thursday and did exceedingly well.
His runs down that flank posed Blasters left-back Lalruatthara many problems. His energy and pace was a constant threat and the youngster certainly distinguished himself well on such a big stage.
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He even received a warm round of applause when he was subbed off in the 83rd minute.
Pune dominate first half, but fail to seal the game
The first 30 minutes of this game felt less like a competitive fixture and more like a free training session for Pune City. This was a clash of two teams on opposite sides of the spectrum and it could not have been any more evident in the opening half an hour.
The Pune players found it ridiculously easy to saunter into the Blasters penalty area almost every single time they picked up the ball. There was nobody applying pressure on Pune's midfielders and forwards who took full advantage to run riot as Pune carved up the Blasters almost at will. It was almost like the Blasters realized they had to defend only once Pune were in the box.
Marcelinho put Pune ahead with a well-worked goal, but the visitors could have easily had a bigger lead had they maximized their chances. So many times they had the Blasters at their mercy, but ended up erring with the final ball or making the wrong decision in the box; Marcelinho himself was culpable on a few occasions.
The missed chances came back to bite them in the second half as the Blasters fought back to snatch a draw. Marcelinho also picked up a yellow card (his fourth overall) at the end for a petty foul that will see him miss the Stallions' next match away to Chennaiyin FC.
Berbatov returns, but only for a half
The Blasters were without their leading forward CK Vineeth for the second straight game, but Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov did return to the side for the beleaguered Blasters, playing in the no. 10 position.
It was a short-lived stay however as he was taken off half-time by the new boss David James; it wasn't without reason as Berbatov offered the home side nothing in the 45 minutes he spent on the pitch. His passes were wayward and when Kerala didn't have the ball, he was dead-weight.
It was a perfectly reasonable decision to give the Bulgarian the hook and James was to be proven right soon enough.
Keziron stirs Kerala into action
The half-time change that Blasters coach David James effected was replacing Berbatov with 19-year-old Uganda Kizito Keziron. The player had only been signed recently by the Blasters as they looked to fill their foreign players' quota. The teenager already has 17 caps for his national side.
And what a difference he made!
The energy he provided in midfield was something the Blasters very much needed. After not at all being in the game in the first half, the Blasters looked a different outfit in the second, taking the fight to Pune City almost from the word 'go'.
The Blasters looked much better in the second half with Keziron heavily involved in most of their good work. Eventually they got their reward with the equaliser in the 74th minute.
Keziron produced an absolute gem of a through-ball to Ghanaian Courage Pekuson who was scampering down the left flank. He managed to get behind the Pune defence and centred the ball beautifully for Mark Sifneos who made no mistake with a cool left-footed finish.
Talk about a telling debut!
Blasters fans find something to cheer about
The fourth season of the ISL has not gone as per expectations of the Blasters fans thus far. There were some major names that they signed up in the draft and auction, but the team has been flat so far in the tournament.
The new year was ushered in with a chastening 3-1 loss at home to Bengaluru FC and soon news followed that their head coach Rene Meulensteen had parted company with the club. David James, who coached them in their debut season, had just one training session reportedly with the side as he was brought in on quick notice to take over and for the first half the Blasters looked like a completely disjointed team, offering no fight whatsoever.
But James and the fans will be pleased with the turnaround in the second half. They took the game to Pune City and made a feast of it and the changes made by James were effective. After the collapse against Bengaluru, this rather more spirited effort would have surely pleased the fans who will be hoping that this performance marks a turning point in their fortunes this season.
