In a tense opening group D encounter, Rajasthan were reduced to ten men, with Gursimrat Singh Gill seeing a straight red card, but still pushed the Blasters all the way before Obieta\u2019s strike in the dying minutes sealed the points.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was a match that tested both patience and endurance. For long stretches, it seemed that the Blasters, heavy favourites against their I-League opponents, would be held to a stalemate. Rajasthan, despite their numerical disadvantage, defended bravely, throwing bodies in front of every cross and shot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The early exchanges saw Rajasthan play with surprising confidence. Ghanaian midfielder Ebenezer Amoh Kings, one of their new signings, came close in the ninth minute when his driven shot whistled past the post.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kerala Blasters, meanwhile, took time to find their rhythm, relying heavily on Adrian Luna\u2019s set-piece delivery. In the 23rd minute, Danish Farooq\u2019s header from Luna\u2019s corner grazed the crossbar, while moments later, Muhammed Saheef\u2019s header was cleared off the line by Gursimrat Singh Gill to keep it goalless at the interval.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Just after the restart, however, Rajasthan\u2019s resistance suffered a major setback. Gill, who had earlier saved his team with a great clearance, was shown a straight red card for bringing down Nihal Sudheesh, who was clean through on goal. The dismissal left the Desert Warriors down to ten men, forcing them to sit deep and defend in numbers for the remainder of the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the numerical advantage, Kerala struggled to make it count. Rajasthan\u2019s goalkeeper Bhabindra Malla Thakuri stood firm, while striker Robinson Bland\u00f3n kept the Blasters\u2019 backline on edge with his rare counterattacks. In the 70th minute, Naoba Meitei\u2019s low cross flashed across the face of goal, inches away from Blandon\u2019s outstretched boot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Just after the restart, however, Rajasthan\u2019s resistance suffered a major setback. Gill, who had earlier saved his team with a great clearance, was shown a straight red card for bringing down Nihal Sudheesh, who was clean through on goal. The dismissal left the Desert Warriors down to ten men, forcing them to sit deep and defend in numbers for the remainder of the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rajasthan almost equalised in stoppage time, forcing Nora Fernandes into a reflex save, before Harmanjot Khabra made a last-ditch clearance to prevent a second goal for Kerala Blasters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n