KOCHI: Few teams this season have managed to make Jamshedpur FC look second best and that is what Kerala Blasters did with a thrilling 1-0 win in their semifinal first leg encounter at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda on Friday.
While Sahal Abdul Samad scored the decisive goal, it was a defensive masterclass by Ivan Vukomanovic that helped them take a crucial advantage going into the second leg against the ISL shield winners.
With Jamshedpur FC being a cut above the rest in the Indian Super League this season, Kerala Blasters were always going to be the underdogs.
Owen Coyle's side had just stormed their way to the ISL shield while shattering many records, but a two-legged semifinal was always going to be a different story.
Rather than consistency throughout the course of a long season, it was more about which team was better prepared on the night.
From the first whistle, the game followed a predictable pattern as Jamshedpur looked to hold the upper hand as they dominated the early exchanges.
Daniel Chukwu was a menacing presence upfront as the Jamshedpur forward kept running at the Blasters defence while Greg Stewart was pulling the strings behind.
However, the Blasters defence held the fort and it was the yellow brigade who went on to score against the run of play.
And with each passing game, Sahal Abdul Samad is transforming himself into a big-match player by scoring the crucial goals. After it had looked like the half was heading towards a stalemate, Blasters produced a decisive moment from a throw-in.
In the 38th minute, after a quick throw-in was fed into the path of Alvaro Vazquez near the halfway line, the Spaniard spotted the run of Sahal.
Vazquez looped the ball forward for Sahal to chase with just one defender in the Jamshedpur half. Jamshedpur's goalkeeper TP Rehenesh chose to race out of his line to try and reach the ball ahead of Sahal who chipped the ball over him to complete an exquisite finish.
Jamshedpur was on the backfoot, but they kept pushing ahead in search of an equaliser. One of the hallmarks of Blasters' performance was their defensive robustness as they soaked up everything that was being thrown at them.
While Sahal walked away with all the headlines, it was centreback Hormipam Ruivah who stood up to the fearsome frontline of Jamshedpur and managed to keep the likes of Stewart quiet all night.
The return of Harmanjot Khabra after his two-game suspension was also vital for Blasters as Hormipam, Khabra and Marko Leskovic formed an impenetrable defensive wall.
At the other end, Blasters could have extended their lead when Adrian Luna's stunning free-kick hit the inside of the post and went out. Coyle threw everything at Blasters by bringing on super subs Jordan Murray and Ishan Pandita and everything in his locker but the Blasters defence was equal to the task as they secured one of their most memorable wins in recent memory.