Delhi Dynamos struck a late goal to hold Kerala Blasters to a 1-1 draw in their Indian Super League football match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
A 48th minute strike from C K Vineeth was cancelled out by Andrija Kaluderovic’s 84th minute header as Delhi’s run of scoring a goal extended to 14 matches.
Amidst a heavy downpour in Kochi, the visitors took control of the game in the first quarter. Lallianzuala Chhangte, in particular, was threatening down the left flank for the Dynamos and his duel with Sandesh Jhingan was proving to be an intriguing affair.
Against the run of play, the hosts came close to grabbing the lead in the 22nd minute. A quick breakaway and a neat one-two between Stojanovic and Sahal Abdul Samad saw the Serbian striker unleash a shot on the Delhi goal. Goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro was, however, alert enough to deal with the danger.
A mistake from goalkeeper Naveen Kumar moments later gave Kaluderovic two stabs at the Kerala goal but a goalmouth scramble saw the ball being ultimately cleared. Matej Poplatnik was promptly introduced after the half-time interval but it was Vineeth who had the crowd roaring in delight. A Kerala corner was only half cleared to Poplatnik who sent the ball immediately back into the box for Vineeth.
The striker shrugged off the challenge from Rana Gharami far too easily before poking a clever finish past Dorronsoro.
With Jhingan injured on the floor due to a cramp, Delhi found a deserved equaliser in the 84th minute through Kaluderovic as he headed home from inside the box.
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