Ratings: Vazquez stars as Kerala Blasters beat NorthEast United

The victory propelled Ivan Vukomanovic's men to second in the standings.

A 10-man Kerala Blasters side held on and beat NorthEast United 2-1 to move to second in the Indian Super League points standings. The Blasters are now just three points behind Hyderabad FC with a game in hand. After a dismal first half where they lacked any edge and were lucky not to concede, the Blasters came alive in the second. Jorge Pereyra Diaz put Ivan Vukomanovic's men ahead with a tap-in header in the 71st minute.

But soon Kerala Blasters went a man down after Ayush Adhikari, in his second start this season, was shown a second yellow and given marching orders. With his side playing second fiddle to NorthEast United, Alvaro Vazquez then scored a wonderous goal to kill the game and put Kerala Blasters in firm control. Vazquez intercepted a pass from Mashoor Shereef, looked up, saw NorthEast United goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury out of his line and scored a stunning long-ranger on the bounce. Mohamed Irshad pulled one back in stoppage time but it was nothing more than a consolation. The defeats keep NorthEast United at the bottom.

On that note, let’s have a look at the player ratings of both teams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xMFPet4gA

Kerala Blasters (by Sattyik Sarkar)

Pranhsukhan Gill – 7.0

Gill conceded a late goal in the match. In the second half, he came off his line, took hold of the ball and passed it away beautifully, with sheer calmness.

Harmanjot Khabra – 7.0

Khabra’s laid the ball for Diaz to open the scoring for the Blasters with a well-timed header. Defensively, he made a clearance and three interceptions. He committed just a tackle and won all three ground duels. He also delivered three key passes tonight and registered a shot on target.

Marko Leskovic – 6.5

Leskovic made five clearances and two interceptions in this match. He won two of the three ground duels and one of the two aerial ones. He also registered two shots, but they were off target.

Hormipam Ruivah – 6.5

The youngster was substituted at the fag end of the match. He made six interceptions and committed two tackles, one of which was perhaps a mistake, rectified by the man himself. Ruivah won 50% of the ground duels.

Nishu Kumar – 7.5

Ever since the first half, his dribbling prowess from the left stunned the Highlanders’ defence. It was his cross that brought about the opener for Kerala Blasters. Nishu was also brilliant on the left channel and kept the opposition full-back in check with constant over-lapping runs. Defensively, he made three clearances and two interceptions. Kumar won 50% of the ground duels and four of the six aerial ones.

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Ayush Adhikari – 5.5

Ayush Adhikari was sent off in the second half after seeing a second yellow card. During his stay, he delivered a key pass. Adhikari won just one tackle of the 10 he attempted and was also dribbled past thrice.

Jeakson Singh – 6.5

Singh enjoyed a passing accuracy of 82% tonight and hit the woodwork early in the first half. Defensively, he won 50% of the ground duels and two of the three aerial duels. Also, Singh made two interceptions and clearances each.

Adrian Luna – 6.5

The skipper delivered two key passes in this match and also created a big chance. However, Luna ended the game without a shot on target. He was fouled five times.

Sahal Abdul Samad – 6

Sahal completed just one dribble on the night and played one key pass. Had a good chance to give Kerala Blasters the lead early in the first half, but fluffed his line. He also lost possession of the ball 10 times.

Alvaro Vazquez – 8.0

With Kerala Blasters a man down and with only a slender lead to protect, Alvaro Vazquez turned up. His longer ranger will perhaps still fall short in front of his own volley against Mumbai City, but KBFC fans will remember it in the days to come. His goals secured the win eventually.

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Jorge Pereyra Diaz – 7.0

Diaz broke the deadlock in the 61st minute from an open header. The Kerala Blasters forward was also exceptional in playmaking and created three chances against NorthEast United.

Substitutes

Vincy Barretto – 6.0

Made one interception after coming on late and of course used his pace whenever given the ball.

Sandeep Singh – N/A

Came on with five minutes of regulation time remaining and did nothing.

Enes Sipovic – 5.5

He also came on along with Sandeep, but gave a crucial foul and made an interception.

Denechandra Meitei – N/A

Same as Sandeep again.

NorthEast United (by Yash Pratap Singh)

Subhasish Roy Choudhary – 3.5

The keeper had no idea what was going on around him. He conceded two goals, including a 50+ yard strike by Alvaro Vazquez.

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Joe Zoherliana – 6.0

Won three of his five ground duels and also made a clearance, an interception and a tackle. He was decent with his passing, but gave away the ball many times.

Mashoor Shereef – 5.0

Put in a last-ditch block to deny Jorge Pereyra Diaz an opening. He executed three clearances, two blocks and an interception. Moreover, it was his misplaced pass that led to Alvaro Vazquez’s wonder strike.

Zakaria Diallo – 6.0

The French defender had a busy outing as he put in six clearances, two interceptions and a block. As always, Diallo maintained a good passing accuracy of around 87%.

Pragyan Gogoi – 6.5

The local lad conceded an early yellow card. He completed all his long balls and put in two tackles and interceptions each.

Hernan Santana – 7.5

Santana looked good on his return to the starting XI. He won the ball in the middle of the park, completed six out of seven long balls. Moreover, he provided an assist late in the game.

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Mohamed Irshad – 7.0

Irshad scored his second goal of the season in bright fashion. Other than that, he looked decent in the middle of the park and was involved in the mix.

Marco Sahanek – 7.0

The Austrian looked dangerous in the opposition half, with his swift and elegant movement. He maintained a passing accuracy of 82.6% and completed two out of three dribbles.

VP Suhair – 6.5

Had an average outing, but still managed to trouble Kerala Blasters’ defenders. He completed 50% of his dribbles and attempted four shots.

Marcelinho – 6.5

Completed 16 passes with an accuracy of 76% which included two key passes. He had a shot off target and also lost possession 14 times.

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Substitutes

Imran Khan – 6.0

The attacking midfielder came on in the second half to replace Pragyan Gogoi. He was kept quiet and could only execute five passes, including a key pass.

Provat Lakra – 5.5

Lakra replaced Joe Zoherliana in the second half. He put in one clearance, two interceptions and earned a yellow card for a reckless challenge.

Deshorn Brown – 4.0

The striker returned to action after missing four matches and replaced Marco Sahanek. He wasn’t involved much and took just five touches in 10 minutes.

Gani Nigam – NA

Came on late in the second half and couldn’t make much of an impact.

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