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Kerala Blasters failed to make the best use of a numerical disadvantage against North East United at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday night, as they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw in their final game of the Indian Super League (ISL) season.
Nelo Vingada's men dominated the game thoroughly, but were let down by their output inside the final third in a largely one-sided affair under the lights in Kochi. The visitors, who have already booked their place in the playoffs, were handed a blow as early as the 23rd minute, when Gurwinder Singh received a straight red card for a last ditch foul on Matej Poplatnik.
However, the 'Men in Yellow' failed to capitalize on the advantage as they struggled to put the finishing touch on wave after wave of attacks aimed at thwarting the Highlanders.
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Eelco Schattorie's men valiantly held on in the end to come away with a point under difficult circumstances to cap off what has been a memorable and historic campaign for his team in the ISL.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the major talking points that emerged out of the final game of the season at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Kochi:
#1 A forgetful return to familiar territory for Gurwinder Singh
Gurwinder Singh, who spent two years plying his trade down south for the Kerala Blasters, was deployed alongside Janeiler Rivas Palacios in the heart of the Highlanders' defence on his return to Kochi on Friday.
However, the homecoming did not go according to the script after he was shown a straight red card for a mistimed last-ditch lunge on Matej Poplatnik, who was running through on goal.
Kerala Blasters conjured a swift move through Len Doungel, who picked the ball up from a corner routine for the visitors, and the forward combined effectively with Courage Pekuson to set the wheels in motion for a textbook counter-attack.
The Ghanaian found Poplatnik with a sublime pass that helped the striker run through on goal, before being brought down by Gurwinder Singh.
The foul had no two ways about it and the referee was forced to give the marching orders to the former Kerala Blasters star for denying Poplatnik a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
The 32-year-old had been a key member of the Kerala Blasters squad during the inaugural season, but on his return to familiar territory, he was forced to take the long walk and an early bath. Not the ideal homecoming by any stretch of the imagination.
#2 Blasters lack clinical edge to put the Highlanders to the sword
The Kerala Blasters have criminally underperformed inside the final third throughout the season. And the game against NorthEast United proved to be the perfect testament to why they have the second-worst goal tally amongst all the 10 clubs in the Indian Super League this term.
It wasn't entirely poor finishing that marred their performance on the night, there was the element of luck too, which has eluded the Blasters on several occasions this season.
Courage Pekuson was denied by the post after launching a solid attempt from just outside the penalty area, while Pawan Kumar, who was taken off injured, also stepped up on a number of occasions to save the visitors' blushes.
Despite all of that, the fact that Kerala Blasters had 17 attempts on goal and failed to find the back of the net against a team that played the majority of the game with 10-men speaks volumes about their quality in the final third.
Seiminlen Doungel enjoyed arguably the game's biggest chance when he was played through on goal from the right, following a driving run from deep within the Kerala Blasters' half by Keziron Kizito. The forward failed to beat the onrushing goalkeeper and summed up the hosts' luck and quality at the top end of the pitch.
#3 North East United hamstrung by early detriment
The Highlanders had already booked their place in the playoff stages of the Indian Super League season and travelled south with the intention of carrying out a formality by contesting in a 'dead rubber' clash.
And the visitors rested their top-scorer Bartholomew Ogbeche, who remained on the bench as an unused substitute. However, they started positively in an early spell that saw both teams trade blows to each other with end-to-end attempts on goal.
Despite their bright start, the visitors were hamstrung in the 23rd minute, when Gurwinder Singh was given the marching orders in a decision that forced them to tweak their approach.
Eelco Schattorie's men were happy to let Kerala enjoy the lion's share of possession as they were forced to sit back and absorb the pressure exerted by the hosts.
And credit to them for doing it so effectively and grinding out a point, but it meant they offered nothing while going forward.
The likes of Federico Gallego, who was forced to drop deep into his own half, and Juan Mascia were severely restricted from having a go at the final third of the pitch, where they are often quite influential and essential to the system.
#4 Rowllin Borges - The man for any job
Rowllin Borges conjured a stellar performance for the Highlanders against Kerala Blasters and proved that he is indeed a man for any job entrusted on him.
The midfielder had scored in each of the last two outings, against Mumbai City and Pune City respectively, and looked lively from midfield in the first 15 minutes or so.
However, the sending off forced Eelco Schattorie to make a tweak to his defence and Borges stepped up to the challenge. Shouvik Ghosh moved to the centre of the back-four alongside Palacios, while Borges filled in at right-back to good effect.
The 26-year-old provided steel to the rearguard and managed to come out on top during several instances against Slavisa Stojanovic.
Borges was a tireless worker even in an unnatural position and played a key role in helping the Highlanders keep their opponents at bay for the majority of the game.
A deep-lying midfielder by trade, Borges had come in for encouraging words after his recent goal-scoring exploits and the display at right-back against Kerala Blasters would only add to his stock.
#5 The draw might just prove to be the ideal result for Eelco Schattorie
There is no undermining the professionalism and hard work of Eelco Schattorie at North East United. The Highlanders have already scripted history by reaching the playoffs for the first time in their history under the tutelage of the Dutch tactician.
And they are now within touching distance of making it to the finals of the fifth edition of the Indian Super League, should they see off the challenge from table-toppers Bengaluru FC over two legs.
In many ways, Schattorie and his men could be buoyant by the fact that they will be locking horns with Bengaluru FC, especially considering how the fixtures between both sides earlier this season worked out.
The Highlanders might have failed to beat the table-toppers, but they were only denied by the heroics of Chencho Gyeltshen. North East conceded a late equaliser from the Bhutanese winger during the first meeting in Guwahati, while the same man scored the winner when the two sides met in Bengaluru last month.
However, Gyeltshen has since then moved to NEROCA FC in the I-League on a loan deal until the end of the season and with Bengaluru FC managing just a single win in their last five outings in the league, there is undoubtedly a window of opportunity for Schattorie's men.
Football is a game of fine margins and with the competition entering it's climax, the draw in Kochi that set-up the meeting with Bengaluru FC might eventually be looked back on as a blessing in disguise, if North East United can go all the way!
ALSO SEE: ISL Schedule | ISL Results | ISL Points table
