The Indian Super League (ISL) served a New Year treat for its fans as Kerala Blasters and FC Goa played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first game of 2022 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Goa on Sunday.
The fixture was an intense affair and it offered plenty -- some impressive teamwork, a few breathtaking goals, and a lot of drama. But the entertainment was somewhat dampened by dubious refereeing that has reared its head in this season’s ISL more than once.
Jeakson Singh and Adrian Luna had launched Blaster into a 2-0 lead early on, but Goa came back into the game with brilliant strikes from Jorge Ortiz and Edu Bedia as the two sides shared the spoils.
The breakthrough in the game came in the 10th minute when Luna’s inswinging corner was met by Jeakson, who popped in unmarked at the near post, to head the ball in. The dust had barely settled from the celebrations of that opener when Luna decided to steal the limelight for himself.
With no Goa player closing him down wide left, Luna’s effort from 38 yards out floated through the air before dipping late to deceive shot-stopper Dheeraj Singh and kiss the post on its way into the back of the net. With their advantage doubled, it looked like Blasters were running away with a win.
But the Gaurs showed determination to find a way back. In the 24th minute, Ortiz produced a fine touch to trap the ball whipped into him by Saviour Gama and scored on the turn as Goa became the first side to score 250 goals in the ISL.
Goa’s equaliser came straight from the corner flag as Edu Bedia’s delivery evaded Blasters custodian Prabhsukhan Singh Gill and sailed into the net in the 38th minute. Goa had the upper hand after the restart, but Bedia skimmed the crossbar from a free kick in the 87th minute – the closest they came to a winner.
Despite the showcase of the attacking quality, Sunday also saw some questionable refereeing. A frenetic first-half ended with Glan Martins and Jorge Pereyra Diaz tangling twice in quick succession. But the referee, after consultation with his two assistants and fourth official, booked Martins and Blasters centre-back Marko Leskovic while letting Pereyra walk away free. Leskovic was lucky not to see a second yellow for a two-footed tackle on Seriton Fernandes later in the game.
Goa will also feel hard done by with two penalty decisions going against them. Seriton was again ploughed down by Blasters captain Jessel Carneiro at the edge of the box, but the referee waved away the protests from Goa players. In the 57th minute, Ortiz went down in the box after being kicked from behind by Bijoy Varghese, but the referee decided to caution the Spaniard for diving instead.
