Ratings: Adrian Luna takes Kerala Blasters past Jamshedpur FC, into ISL final

The Blasters beat the Men of Steel on aggregate.

Kerala Blasters became the first team to qualify for the finals of the eighth edition of the Indian Super League after they beat Jamshedpur FC on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in the second leg. Ivan Vukomanovic's side had won the first leg 1-0. Kerala Blasters captain Adrian Luna opened the scoring through an outside-of-the-box attempt. Jamshedpur FC replied through a controversial Pranoy Halder strike from a corner.

However, they failed to find the second goal as Kerala Blasters held on to eventually win the tie 2-1 on aggregate. This is the third time the Blasters have advanced to the final in eight seasons since the advent of the league in 2014. Jamshedpur FC, who won the League Winners' Shield, bow out of the competition.

Here's how the players fared on the night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HllSs83I1FU

Kerala Blasters (by Shivam Tiwari)

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill - 7.0

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill kept his nerves in check throughout the game. With Jamshedpur FC chasing the game, he had to face a lot of shots and he dealt well with most of them. He made four saves in the game.

Marko Leskovic - 8.0

One of the three best players on the pitch for Kerala Blasters, Marko Leskovic had perhaps his best 90 minutes as a Kerala Blasters player. Hormipam looked out of place and he needed his veteran partner at his best. He finished with three successful tackles and four clearances.

Ruivah Hormipam - 6.5

Ruivah Hormipam was playing in the biggest game of his career and he looked nervous like the many youngsters on the pitch. The youngster made mistakes by over-committing several times. He made three fouls in the game.

Harmanjot Khabra - 6.5

Harmanjot Khabra's mistake led to the equalizer by Pronay Halder. However, the Indian international made up for it with a solid defensive game throughout the match. He completed all eight of his interception attempts.

Sandeep Singh - 6.0

Kerala Blasters played throughout the game through long balls, making their full-backs not go past the middle third of the pitch at any moment. So, Sandeep Singh couldn't do much offensively. Defensively, he made six clearances and two interceptions.

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Ayush Adhikari - 5.5

Ayush Adhikari struggled to keep himself calm and disciplined in the game. He earned himself a booking right after the first cooling break and hence was taken out of the game by Ivan Vukomanovic. Jeakson Singh replaced him in the second half.

Nishu Kumar - 6.0

Nishu Kumar was a surprise inclusion in the starting XI. The surprise for many fans was because he played ahead of the goalscorer of the first leg, Sahal Abdul Samad. Nishu played as a runner throughout his stay. However, he was most impactful when Kerala were without the ball in their defensive third.

Lalthathanga Khawlhring - 6.5

With the focus more on making the likes of Jorge Pereyra Diaz run for through balls, the distribution numbers of the Kerala midfielders, including that of Lalthathanga Khawlhring, would look bad to many. However, Puitea and his fellow midfielders were impressive with their output, given that the team played this way.

Adrian Luna - 8.0

Adrian Luna decided to take matters into his hands when Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez failed to finish the chances created. The Kerala Blasters captain received the ball in the left half-space and dribbled past Laldinliana Renthlei through the shoulder feint move, before shooting from outside the box to give Kerala Blasters their second goal of the tie. He also created two chances.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 8.5

Jorge Pereyra Diaz may not have scored a goal or provided any assist, but the No. 30 was the best Kerala Blasters player on the pitch. He was not only running to reach the through balls launched by his teammates throughout the 90 minutes, but also busy helping his team defend the lead. He showed an exceptional presence of mind to get into the position where he could make a goal-line clearance. 

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Alvaro Vazquez - 7.5

Alvaro Vazquez should have scored early in the game to give a 2-0 lead to Kerala Blasters. However, the decision to attempt to chip the ball above the keeper in the first five minutes of the game turned out to be a bad one. Alvaro Vazquez made up for it by combining with his captain Adrian Luna for the Kerala goal.

Substitutes

Jeakson Singh - 6.0

Jeakson Singh looked just as nervy as Ayush Adhikari in the first half. He could have provided an assist late in the game to seal the deal, but his pass had little power in it, resulting in an interception by a Jamshedpur defender.

Rahul KP - 6.5

Rahul KP was more effective than Nishu as an offensive outlet. He even registered a shot on target which was an easy save for TP Reheneesh. 

Vincy Barretto - N/A

He came into the game in the dying minutes of the second half.

Jamshedpur FC (by JN Balraj)

Rehenesh TP (GK) - 7.0

The former Kerala custodian was brilliant with his high claims and rushing out. He made three saves in the match and kept his side in contention till the final whistle.

Laldinliana Renthlei - N/A

The right-back had a shoulder injury before the game and was substituted in the starting minutes.

Peter Hartley - 7.0

The captain was the lone centre-back when Jamshedpur went for all-out attack. Hartley made four clearances and blocked two shots. He also won six of his eight duels.

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Eli Sabia - 6.5

The towering defender made two clearances and one interception on the night. He partnered well with Peter Hartley to nullify the Blasters’ counter-attacking threats.

Ricky Lallawmawma - 6.0

Ricky made three interceptions and one tackle defensively. But, the coach would have hoped for some quality crosses from the left flank on the big day.

Pronay Halder - 7.0

The seasoned midfielder gave his team a lifeline with the goal. Before being substituted he made one tackle and won three duels.

Jitendra Singh - 7.0

The youngster delivered a scintillating performance on the night. Jitendra made four tackles and one interception. He attempted a shot on target too.

Greg Stewart - 7.5

Greg was played on the right wing in the first half and that restricted him. But, the Scot was everywhere in the second. He created a big chance with three key passes to his name. He also won six duels and had a shot on target.

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Ritwik Das - 6.0

The left winger was ineffective against the experienced Harmanjot Khabra. He attempted four dribbles and one cross in the game.

Ishan Pandita - 6.5

The super-sub got a start in the match, but failed to capitalize on it. He almost scored with a header in the 84th minute and came close with a thunderous strike before that. Overall, Ishan had two shots on target.For more football updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.

Daniel Chima - 6.0

The Nigerian striker scored a goal, but it was denied by a close offside call. Chima missed three big chances in the last game which cost the team. He was awful tonight too and failed to take a single shot in the game.

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Substitutes 

PC Dinpuia - 6.0

The defender replaced the injured Dinliana in the first half. He struggled to deliver quality balls into the box. Dinpuia made one tackle, clearance and interception each.

Jordan Murray - 5.5

The striker was missing his former touch in the game. He was ineffective and went missing in attack.

Mobashir Rahman - 6.5

The local lad delivered beautiful crosses and long balls to find the strikers. If the forwards had been clinical, the result would’ve been different.

Alex Lima - N/A

The Brazilian looked to feed the forwards continuously, but Kerala did well to deny him in the limited minutes he got to play.

Narender Gehlot - N/A

The defender was brought in to accommodate Alex Lima in midfield and did nothing to make an impact.

For more football updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.