Kerala Blasters rode on a strike from Kervens Belfort to defeat Delhi Dynamos 1-0 in the first leg of their Indian Super League semi-final on Sunday.

Belfort scored the winner in the 65th minute as Kerala registered their sixth consecutive win at their home ground.

The Haiti international picked up the ball in the Kerala half, made a long run into the opponent penalty box and dribbled past a defender before unleashing a shot which took a lucky deflection off Delhi defender Anas Edathodika and went in at the near post.

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Kerala will thus take a slender but important advantage into the second leg to be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.

Kerala were on a five-match winning streak at their home ground before this match and they seemed to be in good shape for this encounter.

With Mehtab Hossain returning from suspension and Josu Prieto also back in the starting XI, Kerala were at their best.

Delhi Dynamos too looked good at start with all players being available and they almost silenced the huge crowd in the first minute itself.

A long hopeful ball from midfield saw Delhi’s Florent Malouda take aim but a clearance saw the ball fall for Kean Lewis. Before the Delhi Dynamos winger could try his luck, Kerala defender Cedric Hengbart deflected the ball away for a corner.

A minute later, it was Kerala’s turn to give Delhi a scare. From a counter attack, Belfort ran the length of the pitch and set it up for an unmarked C.K. Vineeth.

There was Duckens Nazon to his left but the in-form India striker chose to go for goal and instead ended up hitting the side netting from close range.

Delhi took time to show their attacking strength and top scorer Marcelinho Pereira went close in the 35th minute. The Brazilian did well to push his way past Mehtab Hossain and Didier Kadio, but Kerala goalkeeper Sandip Nandy proved equal to the challenge.

Kerala thought they had scored their opening goal and the stadium erupted in joy just before half time when an attempted back pass by Delhi’s Marcos Tébar saw Belfort intercept the ball and put it into the net.

But that celebration proved to be premature as the assistant referee ruled that Belfort had handled the ball while attempting to receive it.

But Belfort was not to be denied in the second session.

The 24-year-old striker picked up a pass from Cédric Hengbart near the centre line, ran quite a distance with the ball, sidestepped defender Ruben Gonzalez Rocha and unleashed a shot with only Delhi goalkeeper Antonio Doblas to beat.

The attempt was not powerful enough but a deflection from the sliding Anas Edathodika was enough to catch Doblas on the wrong foot and the ball went in at the near post.

Delhi’s response was strong with Malouda testing the rival goalkeeper and 10 minutes later, Kerala survived their biggest scare.

A corner kick from Malouda saw the Kerala Defence head it out but the ball came back for Tebar who lobbed it into the six-yard box where Marcelinho headed it dangerously towards goal but Hengbart proved to be Kerala’s saviour by heading it off the line.

The match was marred by violent scenes towards the the fag end when the referee denied Delhi what seemed to be a very strong case for a penalty.

Kerala’s star defender Sandesh Jhingan brought down Marcelinho inside the hosts’ penalty box during second half injury time. But the referee did not find anything wrong with the challenge and showed a yellow card to Delhi’s Richard Gadze for protesting.

That incident coupled with an off the ball foul on Marcelo Pereira by Kerala’s Didier Boris Kadio saw emotions boil over in the Delhi camp and the two sets of players indulged in a physical confrontation at the final whistle.

IANS

Delhi Dynamos fought back from a goal down to thump on FC Goa 5-1 in the Indian Super League clash on Sunday.

Brazilian striker Marcelinho Pereira scored a superb hat-trick with goals in the 38th, 48th and 56th minute while Richard Gadze scored the other two goals to help Delhi inch closer to a place in the semi-finals.

Delhi, which have now moved to the second spot with 20 points from 12 matches, however, are not yet guaranteed of a semi-final spot as yet as three other teams (Kerala Blasters, Atletico de Kolkata and NorthEast United) can all overtake their points tally if results go their way. Delhi requires two point from their last two matches to stand a chance of qualification to play-offs.

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In the first half of the Sunday match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the teams were tied 1-1 after Fulganco Cardozo gave Goa the lead in the 31st minute but Marcelinho equalised seven minutes later. Delhi’s domination in the second session, however, stunned FC Goa as they conceded four goals in nine minutes.

Goa surged ahead just after half an hour’s play through Fulganco who tapped the ball inside an empty goal. Delhi equalised within seven minutes from a well-worked free-kick.

Florent Malouda chose to slide a ball through for Pereira on the left and the Brazilian striker made no mistake slamming the ball past Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani.

In the second session, there was a complete transformation as Delhi scored four goals in nine minutes. Pereira started Delhi’s goal run in the 48th minute. He got a ball about 25 yards out, cut past Richarlyson who was marking him and then sent a rasping drive that beat Kattimani for the second time.

Gadze scored his first of the night in the 51st minute after Pereira turned provider and the Brazilian himself completed his hat-trick in the 56th minute. Gadze made it 5-1 in the 57th minute, beating the challenge of Raju Gaekwad and scored his second goal of the night.

The defeat left FC Goa rooted to the bottom with 11 points from 13 matches and they will be hugely embarrassed after suffering their biggest defeat in ISL.

IANS

FC Pune City prevailed 4-3 over league leaders Delhi Dynamos to boost their chances of reaching the semi-finals of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL).

FC Pune City were down by a Kean Lewis (44th minute) goal in the first session but turned the match around in the second session with goals from Anibal Rodriguez (55th and 63rd), Mohammed Sissoko (62nd) and Lenny Rodrigues (90th).

Delhi Dynamos remained in contention with an own goal from Eduardo Ferreira (79th) and a goal from Malsawmzuala (90th) till the very end at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium.

The victory took Pune City to the fourth spot with 15 points from 11 matches, just two less than Delhi Dynamos who could have sealed their place in the play-offs with three points.

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Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata, both out of the top four now, can move on top with victories on Saturday, while NorthEast United FC (11 points) and FC Goa (11 points) are still in the competition with three matches left to be played.

In an exciting contest, Delhi goalkeeper Soren Porei was the hero for his team in the first 45 minutes after stopping a penalty from Mohammed Sissoko and blocking Momar Ndoye twice in a one-on-one situation.

Pune City had better control and should have taken the lead when Anibal was brought down inside the danger zone and the referee awarded a penalty. But marquee player Sissoko ended up with a poor penalty which Porei saved by guessing correctly and diving to his left.

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The miss proved costly for Pune as they conceded a goal close to half time. Marcelinho’s back-heel from just outside the box released Emerson Gomes de Moura (Memo) whose ball inside the box saw Kean Lewis find space and time to slot it inside the net in the 44th minute.

The goal was the 400th in the ISL and gave Delhi confidence that they can qualify for the semi-finals with three matches in hand but Pune struck in the 55th minute. A free kick from Jonatan Lucca found Anibal who rose high over two defenders and headed it into the far post.

Seven minutes later, Pune City were ahead when Sissoko made amends for his poor penalty and slotted home from inside the box from another free kick.

Pune appeared to wrap up the game only a minute later as Anibal capitalised on a blunder from Delhi Dynamos. Goalkeeper Porei threw the ball away to Ruben Gonzalez who could not control it. Anibal picked it up and beat the goalkeeper at the near post with a powerful strike.

Florent Malouda had a hand in the second goal for Delhi as his shot across the goal hit defender Eduardo and sailed into the goal in the 79th minute. Any chance of a comeback was snuffed out by Pune midfielder Lenny Rodrigues when he finished a pass from Lucca in the last minute of play.

Malsawmzuala did manage to pull another goal back for Delhi in added time but there was no more time for the equaliser as the visitors lost 3-4.

IANS

Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin FC got a point each after playing out a 2-2 draw in an Indian Super League (ISL) football clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Despite being reduced to 10 men in the 44th minute after striker Badara Badji saw two yellow cards, Delhi maintained their unbeaten record at home as Milan Singh (63rd minute) and Florent Malouda (74th) cancelled out the lead provided each time to Kolkata by Iain Hume (17th) and Javi Lara (71st minute).

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The draw left Delhi at the top with 17 points from 10 matches while Kolkata picked up their fourth point in the last four matches to occupy the fourth spot with 13 points.

Kolkata, who are the only team to have defeated Delhi this edition, were on course for another upset when Hume gave them the lead in 17th minute. It was South African midfielder Sameehg Doutie who played a delightful through ball for Hume, who after seeing goalkeeper Toni Doblas come out, placed the ball perfectly into the nets.

Kolkata had the upperhand after Delhi striker Badji picked up his second booking of the match for a needless handball and was sent off in the first half itself.

In the second session, the match saw frenetic developments, starting in the 60th minute when Marcelinho was brought down by Prabir Das and won a penalty. Malouda stepped up to take the penalty but his low effort was blocked by goalkeeper Debjit Majumder.

Delhi, however, were not to be denied the equaliser three minutes later as Milan beat a diving Debjit with a left-footed screamer from outside the box.

The visitors had a player advantage and made it count in the 71st minute to take the lead for the second time. It was Lalrindika Ralte from the left who pushed the ball for Helder Postiga. The ball, however, fell for an unmarked Lara, who smashed it into the nets, giving no chance to the rival goalkeeper.

Later, Malouda redeemed himself for his missed penalty with the equaliser in the 74th minute. The former France midfielder controlled a ball with his back to the wall, got the ball past two defenders and calmly slotted it past the goalkeeper to make it 2-2.

Both the teams couldn’t find the net for the lead as the match ended a draw.

IANS

Marquee footballer Florent Malouda scored twice to shape Delhi Dynamos fluent 4-1 win over title holders Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League on Wednesday.

The Delhi Dynamos captain was the most influential player on the ground guiding his team at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as Delhi went to the top of the standings with 16 points from nine matches after the win.

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Chennaiyin, the defending champions, are placed fifth with 10 points from eight matches.

Striker Richard Gadze gave Delhi Dynamos the lead in the 15th minute before Malouda made it 2-0 in the 25th minute. It was the Frenchman’s first ISL goal.

Defender Bernard Mendy provided brief hope for Chennaiyin in the 37th minute when he reduced the margin to 1-2.

But Delhi were unstoppable in the second half with forward Kean Lewis making it 3-1 and Malouda himself completing the rout with his second goal.

Chennaiyin’s loss, coming after three successive draws, left them with plenty of work to do in the remaining matches in order to qualify for the semi-finals.

The opening goal occurred in the 15th minute when Malouda won a ball and took a quick shot on goal. It was saved by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh but Gadze was lurking around to pounce on the rebound, before he could be tackled by Chennaiyin defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo.

Malouda made it 2-0 in the 25th minute after combining well with Gadze. The Ghanaian did well to wriggle past Brazilian defender Eli Sabia Filho and set it up for Malouda to finish with a well placed left-footer.

Chennaiyin fought their way back into the game through their captain Mendy, who made a fine run evading several Delhi players before smashing the ball into the goal.

In the second half, Malouda continued to dominate the play and created Delhi’s third goal. He did well to hold on to the ball inside the box and then passed it on to Lewis who did extremely well with a fine shot.

Delhi extended their domination, scoring their fourth goal and Malouda’s second of the match when he scored from close range.

IANS

Delhi Dynamos FC secured their second win of this year’s Indian Super League (ISL) with a 2-0 triumph against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday evening.

Both goals came in the second half, following the introduction of Marcelinho. The winger scored first in the 72nd minute before setting up Richard Gadze four minutes later for a comfortably victory against last season’s runners-up.

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Goa came desperately close to taking the lead in the fifth minute after Rafael Coelho went in, but Toni Doblas just managed to get his finger-tips on the Brazilian’s attempted chip, which was still heading towards the goal until Anas Edathodika headed heroically off the line to concede a corner.

Julio Cesar was next to try his luck for Goa after a delightful pass by Coelho found him in a good position. He dragged his shot wide and failed to test Doblas this time around.

Delhi had three quick attempts on the goal soon after through Gadze. The Ghanaian’s first two shots were blocked by the Goa defence, while his third effort was safely collected by goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury.

Mandar Rao Dessai came closest to breaking the deadlock in 26th minute when a thunderous left-footed shot from distance nearly took the paint off the post.

Gadze had another shot on goal three minutes later after Florent Malouda set him up. This time, the 22-year-old missed the target to Delhi’s despair.

Delhi’s last chance of the half also fell to Gadze. The Ghanaian drove at the defence before forcing Chowdhury into a save.

Romeo Fernandes had Goa’s last shot of the half, which required Doblas’ intervention to keep it 0-0 at half-time.

It was a slow start to the second period with the first shot of the half coming in the 56th minute through Bruno Pelissari, whose effort from range was straight down Chowdhury’s throat.

Cesar flicked on a Dessai cross from the left into a dangerous area two minutes later.

A desperate stretch by Luciano Sobrosa wasn’t enough to meet the 36-year-old’s flick-on, however, as the ball trickled across the face of the six-yard box and went behind for a goal-kick.

Marcelinho came off the bench for Delhi shortly after the hour mark and made his presence felt immediately with two quick attempts.

Sobrosa then had a cheeky effort on goal tipped over the bar by Doblas in the 66th minute.

The opening goal came six minutes later after some individual brilliance by Marcelinho. Delhi’s super-sub expertly controlled a long ball from Doblas before gliding past Goa’s defenders and unleashing a venomous shot into the back of the net.

Delhi sealed the result in the 76th minute after Marcelinho headed a Malouda cross that found him at the far post towards Gadze, who was on the edge of the six-yard box.

This time the Ghanaian striker made no mistake as he buried the ball into the bottom corner to give the Dynamos a two-goal cushion.

Delhi kept their shape and possession well in the final 10 minutes to run down the clock as Goa struggled to get on the goal.

IANS

Brazilian winger Marcelo Pereira struck a brace as Delhi Dynamos defeated defending champions Chennaiyin FC 3-1 in an Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday. Playing their first match this season, Delhi Dynamos turned on the magic with Marcelo (26th, 34th minutes) scoring both his goals side in the first session after Dudu Omagbemi (32nd) had briefly cancelled out his first goal.

Badara Badji put the match beyond Chennaiyin FC’s reach with the visitors’ third goal in the 86th minute. Chennaiyin FC are without a win from their first two matches after drawing their opening match against Atletico de Kolkata.

The hosts paid for some poor defending with Delhi catching them on the wrong foot repeatedly with their fast counter-attacks. Playing at home for the first time, the defending champions started with a flurry but could not break the deadlock. In the eighth minute, Chennaiyin’s Raphael Augusto spotted Mohanraj’s run from the left who crossed for Dudu but the Nigerian striker’s header sailed just wide.

Bernard Mendy then went close in the next minute with another header and Jeje Lalpekhlua had his chance to draw first blood but could not beat Delhi goalkeeper Toni Doblas from close range.

Delhi soon recovered from the initial Chennaiyin FC attacks and took the lead after Milan Singh won a penalty. Milan spotted a long cross from Souvik Chakraborty and was making his run when he was brought down by Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper Duwayne Kerr. Marcelinho stepped up to take the penalty and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Players in action during an ISL match between Chennaiyin FC and Delhi Dynamos FC

 
Chennaiyin FC, however, did not take too long to draw level. Dudu was afforded space by the Delhi defence and he made them pay by latching on to a through ball from Jeje and slamming it past a diving Delhi goalkeeper.

Chennaiyin FC were now back in the game but Delhi took they by surprise again two minutes later as Marcelinho hoodwinked the rival defence and gave Kerr no chance with a first-time attempt.

Had Delhi converted the chances that came their way after being 2-1 ahead, the match would have been killed by half-time. Kean Lewis missed a golden chance with only the goalkeeper at his mercy as he shot wide and then Marcelinho took one touch too many, allowing Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper to grab the ball and keep his team in the hunt.

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In the second session, Delhi Dynamos were comfortable with the ball and rarely looked threatened.

Chennaiyin FC, on the other hand, tried to find a way past the rival defence without much success. Sensing that he needs to do something different, Chennaiyin manager Marco Materazzi opted to field three strikers for the last 20 minutes of play but instead it were Delhi Dynamos who tasted success.

Delhi made it 3-1 with six minutes left on the clock when a Kean Lewis cross from the left was finished with a thumping header by substitute Badara Badji.