Blasters striker Ajsal gets brace as Kerala punish Punjab in 7-minute madness

Kerala began the final round of the 79th Santosh Trophy with an energetic 3-1 win over Punjab at the Silapathar Football Stadium in Assam on Thursday.

Punjab shocked Kerala with a surprise lead in the 27th minute, but Shafeeq Hassan's boys bounced back with three goals in the second half to secure three points in the Group B encounter.

Kerala Blasters' reserves striker Muhammad Ajsal scored a brace (58, 62) after defender Manoj M equalised in the 55th minute. Jatinder Singh Rana had put Punjab ahead in the 27th minute.

On a playing surface that did not appear suitable for short passing, Kerala's ingenuity proved the difference. Seven-time champions Kerala used their pace and pressing to punish Punjab, which made the wrong choice of sitting on a slender lead.

Punjab's opener came from a long throw that was flicked into the box. Bibin Ajayan went sliding in to take the ball off Harmanpreet Singh, but the midfielder evaded the challenge, and a half-hearted effort to block from Manoj M did not stop the pull back for Rana, who headed it down and into a welcoming net.

Captain Sanju was guilty of not tracking the run of Rana, but it was a collective failure of Kerala's defence, one that proved to be a wake-up call.

Kerala piled up the pressure in the second half, just like they did immediately after going behind. Coach Hassan made two changes at half-time, bringing in attacker Shijin T and Muhammed Sinan in place of Muhammed Riyas and Muhammed Ashique.

The reward came 10 minutes into the second period from a teasing corner from Sandeep S. The inswinger was nodded home by Manoj, who outmuscled his marker to get his goal.

Kerala were a different beast thereafter, exploiting spaces to drag the Punjab defence. In one such instance, Arjun looked up from deep inside his half and released Sinan wide on the right. The wily winger brushed aside a challenge and played a perfect ball for Ajsal, who did a couple of things right - first, he timed his run to be not offside, and then didn't rush with his shot that took a deflection off the goalkeeper before rolling in.

Kerala's third strike felt like a training routine but one that they might practice for fun, rather than as part of a tactic. A long ball into the Kerala half was headed back into Punjab's final third by Arjun M M, and his namesake, Arjun V, flicked a headed pass into the box, where two Kerala strikers pounced on the loose ball. Shijin failed to poke it past the goalkeeper, but Ajsal got the ball under control before slipping it into the net, on the turn, with his left. Ajsal lost his balance as he scored, but Kerala were in perfect control.

Kerala had more chances in the match, many of which were thwarted by a daring Karandeep Singh in the Punjab goal. But the fighting spirit displayed on a wobbly, dry pitch should augur well for Team Kerala going forward in the tournament.