Ashley Westwood shares his takeaways from draw against NorthEast United FC in ISL 2025-26
The Blasters registered their first point at Kochi this season on Wednesday
Kerala Blasters FC were held to a 1-1 draw by NorthEast United FC in a closely contested Indian Super League encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Tuesday, 15th April 2026. The Blasters put in a strong performance for large parts of the game and looked set to secure all three points before a late equaliser from the visitors ensured the spoils were shared.
After a steady opening, the home side began to assert control through structured buildup play. Their efforts were rewarded in the 41st minute when Fallou Ndiaye’s acrobatic attempt caused chaos in the box, eventually resulting in an own goal that gave Kerala Blasters a deserved lead going into halftime. Defensively, the team remained largely organised, with key interventions preventing NorthEast United from finding clear openings for much of the half.
However, in the closing stages, NorthEast United pushed forward in search of an equaliser. In the 88th minute, a scramble inside the box saw Lalbiaknia react quickest to turn in a rebound after an initial effort struck the crossbar.
Despite five minutes of added time and a late push, Kerala Blasters were unable to find a winner, and the game ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Following the draw, Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ashley Westwood addressed the media. Here is a detailed report of the post-match press conference of the match between Kerala Blasters FC and NorthEast United FC.
Assessment of the game
“Obviously, very disappointed with the result, you know what, when you get chances as good as we got, we have to put them over, and the game is over, the game is finished. The longer it goes on, the more they are going to keep pushing (opposition) and get chances at this level. We didn’t defend the goal too well, half a chance, last two men to get back to the box, bounces, hits the bar and obviously, they put the rebound in.”
“Again, it is the case of missed chances. But if we are being honest and reflect, you know, four points from Bengaluru away and NorthEast home game, so we can’t be too critical. Before we came, we had just one point, so we are doing something right, just got to keep improving and learn our lessons.“
Does Ashley consider the game as two points dropped or one point gained?
The Blasters were leading 1-0 for the vast majority of the match until NorthEast scored the equaliser in the late minutes of the game. In this context, Ashley Westwood was asked if he would like to consider the game as two points dropped or one point gained, to which he replied;
“I mean, it has to be one point gained, looking at what they were before we came. Six games, one point, and I’ve got four points in three games, and we should have got something from the Delhi game. So we have certainly improved; we can expect to go on and win every single game from what we were to the current squad. We had a couple of new players coming in, and we will just keep on improving. We have four games, and we are gonna keep picking points for sure.”
Were the substitutions of Karim and Victor wrong?
“No, we have three games in eight days, and you can’t expect players who haven’t had a proper season to play three games; you have to use the squad wisely. Karim is an attacking player. Kevin is an attacking player. We put Franchu, who is an attacking player, instead of Karim, and we put Matias on and shifted him to the left, trying to provide us stability and resilience in the middle. So you have to use your squad wisely, or else the players are going to be injured. We have got four points in three games, so we can’t be too critical of changes.”
Did NorthEast dominate the Blasters at any point?
“No, not at all, I mean to dominate games, you have to create chances. I guarantee that our xG will be higher than theirs. We threatened a goal, and we had big, big chances. I am pretty sure that if they were on the other hand, they would look at the chances we missed. So we are not massively disappointed with the result, but we wanted a clean sheet.”
Did the fans’ boycott affect the result?
“You know, there is nothing I can do with the fans. I can only do my job, I can only guarantee their performances. The fans have a choice to make and it is upto them. Of course the players will feel different, everybody needs fans behind them cheering, but that is way out of my control”
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Niranjan R Prabhu is an Economics student from Kochi with an enduring passion for Indian football, especially as a devoted Kerala Blasters FC fan — a club he considers part of his life. Beyond the game, he writes on culture, Indian economic development, and sustainability, always eager to explore ideas in depth. His days are a balancing act between college, writing, and travel.