Vineeth’s last-minute goal helps Kerala hold Chennaiyin to draw

When substitute Mihelic converted his penalty in the 88th minute, it was presumed that the host’s new-found habit of snatching a winner towards the fag end would continue for another match.

But sport, and more so football, would lose all its charm if not for the unexpected twists and turns and if you may add ‘goals’, that gets the adrenaline soaring.

Until the ‘Friday Frenzy’ came about, a whopping 13 goals had been scored at an average of more than four per game at Chennaiyin’s home ground. What that number did was it raised the expectations to unreasonable levels as fans and fanatics of both teams weren’t tired of making raucous chants, throughout the 90 minutes, all in anticipation of that one precious goal that failed to keep its appointment until the very end.

A highly exhilarating clash that ends without the identity of a clear-cut winner leaves behind a bitter feeling of emptiness in all and sundry.

The match may not have had that decisive goal, but it was not short on drama and other key elements that go into making this a feisty battle.

If it’s of any consolation, it is that Chennaiyin has climbed to second on the table with 13 points from seven matches. This also marked the first time in this season that Chennaiyin was held in

The Blasters’ captain Sandesh Jhingan was guilty of conceding the penalty in the 88th minute after the ball grazed his shoulder and all his pleas to the referee trying to convince it was not a penalty went in vain. Mihelic stepped forward and wrong-footed the goalkeeper to give his team the lead.

It wasn’t too long before Jhingan made amends for his earlier flaw and he made a precise cross to Vineeth who slotted the ball in to send his team into raptures.

For the majority of the match, neither of the goalkeepers had much to do but for producing one outstanding save each. While the home team’s custodian Karanjit Singh pulled off a brilliant reflex save to thwart Courage Pekuson’s long range effort, his counterpart Paul Rachubka denied a powerful goal-bound shot from Gregory Nelson in the 80th minute.