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Mumbai City FC and Kerala Blasters played out a tame 1-1 draw at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai to share the spoils. The home side dominated proceedings early on and opened the scoring through Juan Aguilera, but Kerala got back level through Antonio German in the 89th minute.The draw helped neither side’s cause to push for the top four and seal a semi-final playoff spot. The standings stood unaltered at the end of 90 minutes, with Blasters sitting rock bottom with 12 points and Mumbai, a place above them with 13 points.Here are the major talking points from match number 47 of the Hero Indian Super League.All images courtesy of ISL
#1 Aguilera shines for the hosts
Juan Aguilera deservingly took whom the ‘Hero of the Match’ award after a stellar all-round performance from midfield for Mumbai City. The Spaniard was ever-present in midfield, dictating terms and bossing play for a majority of 90 minutes. The 30-year-old was a former professional in Spain, playing in the lower tier of the Spanish league for teams such as Real Murcia and Getafe.
Aguilera opened the scoring for the Mumbaikars in the 25th minute rallying home confidently, after a Sony Norde corner kick was spilt in the box.
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Aguilera, traditionally a box to box midfielder was deployed in the centre of midfield today, partnering Cristian Bustos. He was comfortable in possession and moved the ball around for the hosts with grace and is certain to be in Nicolas Anelka’s plans when he prepares his Mumbai City side for the final two away games against Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata.
#2 Pavel Cmovs suspended for the next match
Defender Pavel Cmovs will have to sit out Mumbai City FC’s next game against Chennaiyin as he received his fourth yellow card of the season resulting in suspension. He went into the referee’s book for bringing down Antonio German with a cynical challenge. Though Mumbai has the worst defensive record in the league, Cmovs has been a consistent figure at the rearguard.
The Czech centre-back since joining Mumbai City FC last year has been in the thick of the action and has stepped up to save Mumbai’s blushes plenty of times. It is certain that the ‘no-nonsense’ defender will be dearly missed in Mumbai City’s crucial last two away matches.
Nicholas Anelka has options in the form of Rowilson Rodrigues and Kingshuk Debnath ready to fill in for the suspended Cmovs when they travel to Chennai on 1 December.
#3 Injury concerns for Mumbai City
Mumbai City’s skipper Subrata Pal is a major doubt for the next match after he came off injured in the 50th minute. The goalkeeper, dearly known to his fans and teammates as Spiderman was seen clutching his back indicating an injury to his lower back and had to be helped off the pitch after a couple of nasty tussles with Chris Dagnall and Pulga.
Subrata Pal, who has 63 international caps to his name, was replaced by another domestic goalkeeper – Debjit Majumdar.
Another injury concern for Mumbai is centre-back Bertin who also seemed to have injured his back after an awkward collision inside the Kerala Blasters’ penalty area. Though the French defender carried on after receiving treatment from the sidelines, he is also doubtful of featuring in Mumbai City’s next game.
The gravity of both the injuries is still not known and will be officially confirmed later after assessment.
#4 Terry Phelan hands debuts to Sandip Nandy and Deepak Mondal
In order to freshen things up in the lineup, Blasters coach Terry Phelan handed season debuts to former Indian internationals Sandip Nandy and Deepak Mondal. The vastly experienced pair, who has 75 odd international caps between them, came up with a commendable performance at the back for the men in yellow.
Sandip Nandy, now in his second season with the Kerala franchise, had a shaky start to the game with the ball being passed back to him on several occasions. Otherwise the 40-year old, who came in replacing English keeper Stephen Bywater between the sticks, had a good day at the office, making a few vital saves.
Returning to face his former ISL side, 36-year-old Deepak Mondal made his first appearance for the Blasters at Mumbai. The Jharkhand-born defender had a decent outing coming in for Rahul Bheke at right-back, playing an integral part in the build up to Kerala Blasters’ only goal.
#5 All but over for Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters may have well and truly kissed their season goodbye as nothing short of a miracle can save them now. The 1-1 draw in Mumbai still keeps them mathematically in the race for the top four. But if Pune City wins against Atletico de Kolkata, Kerala Blasters will be playing their remaining two fixtures merely for the sake of saving their pride.
Runners-up from the inaugural ISL season, the Blasters have not been able to live up to that name in a season marred by poor performances. The Blasters, who sacked their head coach Peter Taylor after just six matches, were handed heavy blows when English striker Sanchez Watt and marquee signing Carlos Marchena returned home following injuries.
Kerala Blasters return home to host FC Goa on the 29 November for their last home game of the season. What remains to be seen is whether the Blasters will still be alive in the competition going into that match.
