Javier helps Jamshedpur hold Kerala Blasters
Jamshedpur FC rode on Javier Siverio’s equaliser to pull off a 11 draw against Kerala Blasters FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.
Blasters required a victory to ensure a berth in the playoffs, and their hopes received a boost, following an opening strike by Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 23rd minute of the match.
Rahul KP steered the ball forward before passing it to Emmanuel Justine Ojoka inside the box.
The latter took a deft touch, before directing the ball towards Diamantakos, who deposited it into the net.
JFC got its act together soon afterwards, with Rei Tachikawa, Jeremy Manzorro, Imran Khan, and Mohammed Sanan taking turns to tease the Kerala Blasters FC defence.
And the equaliser arrived soon, with Siverio finding the net in the last minute of regulation time in the first half.
The former Hyderabad FC forward, who had kept hovering around the visit
Javier’s goal for JFC in the 45th minute neutralised Diamantakos’ strike for Blasters.
ing team’s backline, kept on poking its defensive line to find gaps consistently.
He came glaringly close to scoring in the 12th minute, teaming with Tachikawa before taking the mantle upon him to launch a fierce shot that landed off target by a slender margin.
And his equaliser dimmed the celebrations for Ivan Vukomanovic and his men, who failed to
break down the host side entirely in the second half.
The result would sting both sides, with JFC missing out on climbing into the top six while Blasters fell short of securing a playoff spot.
The results
At Jamshedpur: Jamshedpur FC 1 (Javier 45) drew with Kerala Blasters 1 (Diamantakos 23)
At Bengaluru: BFC 0 drew with Odisha FC 0.