ISL | Own goal ends Kerala Blasters’ playoff hopes

Jamshedpur FC holds Kerala Blasters to a 1-1 draw with a late own goal in ISL match.

Down by a goal for a major part of the match, Jamshedpur FC came back to hold Kerala Blasters 1-1 after a late own goal from defender Milos Drincic in the ISL at the Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.

With Jamshedpur having made the playoffs earlier, the Blasters appeared the hungrier side, dominated the exchanges and created plenty of chances.

One such move from the right saw Dusan Lagator outwit a defender and offer a headed pass which Korou Singh picked up, rushed into the box and scored with an angled right-footed shot in the 34th minute.

That goal boosted the home side’s morale, it grew confident and almost came close to adding another a few minutes later but Naocha Singh failed to connect a promising cross from Adrian Luna.

The home side came close to scoring again early in the second half but Luna’s shot went over while Vibin Mohanan’s attempt narrowly went wide. On the other end, Jamshedpur’s leading scorer Javier Hernandez attempt also went wide.

Just when it appeared that the Blasters would pull off a win, came the shocker. Drincic attempted to stop an effort from Jamshedpur’s Rei Tachikawa but to the home team’s horror, only managed to direct the ball into the net in the 86th minute.

The draw saw Blasters remain on the ninth spot (25 points) and ended their hopes of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur climbed a rung and moved to the third spot.