KOCHI: It seems the Kerala Blasters squad has been tuning to Maya Angelou for consolation and hope for quite some time. Their chips have been down and a coach has left them just recently, owing to the side’s jaded show. With injury plaguing them and a dearth of players to replace the ailing ones, Kerala Blasters were almost written off before the start of the game. They needed heavy doses of something like the American poet’s cue that “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated” to stay on course.
Till the lemon break, it seemed the Yellow Army had listened to, if at all they did, the wise words for nothing. Pune City were in control. With silky passes and smooth interplay, they were running riot in the Blasters’ final third. Blasters would have been thanking the stars for conceding only a goal in the 33rd minute through Brazilian poacher Marcelinho.
However, a resurgent second-half display helped Blasters equalise, as striker Mark Sifneos slotted home in the 73rd minute to save the face and restore some pride before a home crowd that has been critical of their performance.
It was Pune’s dominance in the first half and they had several chances. In the seventh minute, Marcelino's free-kick found Rafael Lopez inside the box, but the Spaniard failed to connect it.
Moments later, Emiliano Alfaro shot one wide after being assisted by local lad Ashique Kuruniyan from the right flank.
Marcelinho had another golden chance when custodian Subhasish Roy Chowdhury fumbled with Jonathan Lucca’s rather meek shot from the left. However, before Marcelinho could put his feet to the rebound, the custodian managed to kick it away to safety. Nevertheless, the stallions managed to pound the Blasters citadel frequently and had as many as eight corners in the first essay, but the goal kept eluding.
The Alfaro-Marcelinho combo troubled the Blasters’ defence and in the 33rd minute, the pressure yielded a result. Lucca’s cross from the left found Ashique in the box and after sweet interplay between the youngster and Marcelinho, the latter produced a scorching left-footer that shook the net.
The second-half witnessed Blasters’ fightback. They brought on Kenyan Keziron Kezito in place of Dimitar Berbatov and the result was evident.
There was a buzz in the final third as the 19-year-old managed to bridge the midfield gap. In the 73rd minute, Blasters restored parity with Kizito being the architect. Sifneos, who was at the tip of the box, slotted home much to the joy of the crowd.
shan.as@newindianexpress.com