Kochi: Cometh the moment, cometh the man. Second half substitute C.K. Vineeth, making his first appearance of the season, scored a dramatic 98th minute winner as Kerala Blasters defeated a nine-man FC Goa, 2-1 here on Tuesday.
The Kannur boy who had missed every moment of the season as he was away on AFC Cup duty with parent club Bengaluru FC, could not have asked for a better way to mark his return to the ISL as he replaced Mohammed Rafique in the 79th minute with Goa, a man down following a 46th minute red card to captain Gregory Arnolin.
Vineeth’s arrival injected pace and purpose into the Kerala side and his first involvement was in itself eventful as he got Richarlyson, creator of the Goan goal, sent-off for fouling him on the edge of the box.
But his goal, amidst commotion in the box in the final minute of a nine-minute stoppage extension, made everything else look insignificant. As a long ball fell kindly for Cedric Hengbart, he headed it into Vineeth’s path and the winger couldn’t miss a simple poke in from six yards.
Earlier, Kervens Belfort had converted a penalty awarded following the dismissal of the visiting skipper that had levelled the tie at 1-1 after Rafael Coelho had headed in the opener for Goa in the 9th minute.
The win, their third of the season, moved Kerala into the playoff position with 12 points while Goa remain rooted to the bottom of the table with seven. Goan players and their manager Zico could face severe sanctions, if found guilty, as they mobbed the referee, who had to be escorted out, at full-time.
Graham Stack was preferred over an error-prone Sandip Nandy in the Kerala goal as Steve Coppell aimed to plaster the gaping hole in defense, left by Aaron Hughes’s international call-up. But after a cautious start, at the first instance of a threat, the Irishman, who was back in the reckoning since Round Two, faltered.
He let the ball slide in between his legs while guarding a curling Richarlyson freekick that met Coelho, unchecked at the far post, for a headed goal.
The early setback was Kerala’s wake-up call.
