Koke strike powers NorthEast United FC to victory

The Spanish midfielder took advantage of a poor clearance by the Kerala defenders, rushing onto the ball and putting it past former England goalkeeper David James in the far left corner with a sweetly timed half-volleyed effort. This is the third goal in the tournament scored by a Spanish player. Kerala Blasters came out with intent as they looked to take control of the match at the start. Joan Capdevila gave away a free kick as early as the first minute. The men in yellow pushed forward positively and had the lion's share of the possession. Kerala even had the ball in the back of the net in the 16th minute, but Iain Hume was denied by the offside flag. NorthEast United FC’s former Greece international goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas stood as firm as a rock in front of his goal and refused to be beaten. He was deservingly voted ‘Hero of the match’. He did commit a mistake with a scuffed goal kick and was also lucky that a low shot by substitute Michael Chopra was saved by his defender on the goal line. The match didn’t see too much happening in the first half, apart from a few tame attempts from both sides. Durga Boro got everyone out of their seats with an incredible long range effort, only to be denied by James with a fantastic save.