ISL 2020-21: Jordan Murray not really optimistic of Kerala Blasters FC's playoff chances
The draw against Odisha FC has allowed Kerala Blasters FC to rise to the ninth spot, while the former continues to lurk at the bottom of the table. While Odisha is out of playoff contention, Blasters has an outside chance. Both the sides are yet to win the title to date.
FollowOn Thursday, Kerala Blasters FC was held to a brutal draw was Odisha FC in the Indian Super League 2020-21, at the Fatorda Stadium in Bengaluru. While Odisha stays at the rock bottom, Blasters has risen to ninth, as it continues to remain in the playoffs contention, with chances looking minimal.
It all began with Diego Mauricio's 45th opening stroke for Odisha, while Jordan Murray levelled it in the 52nd. Gary Hooper handed Blasters the lead in the 68th before Mauricio levelled it in the 74th.
Following the draw, Blasters striker, Murray was upset that his side did not pick up a win, and is not really optimistic regarding his side's chances of making it to the playoffs. "Today was extremely disappointing. We have an outside chance to make the playoffs, but it's very small. Hopefully, we can get nine points from the remaining three games. I thought, in the first half, we controlled majority of the game. We wanted to come back with the same intensity in the second half and put pressure on Odisha," reports Sportstar.
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"We missed opportunities and they got the two goals necessary. We should have been more clinical up front. From here, it's about playing for pride and getting as many points as possible. I just want to keep improving my game and also help others in my team to keep improving each day," he added.
Meanwhile, Odisha boss, Gerry Peyton was contained with the result of the game, as he stated, "I think my team was very motivated from the start. We knew that Kerala Blasters were going to come hard at us. We had a plan to not allow them to run through us and executed it to perfection. Our backline was very compact. I was very impressed with Brad Inman's performance. He linked up well with Diego Mauricio up front."
"We could have won the game in the end. Brad and Jacob Tratt had great chances to seal the deal. I'm disappointed that those didn't go in. Kerala is a talented side with top players. It did have chances and missed it. I'm happy with my players' performance because they did exactly what I wanted," he concluded.
