ISL: Depleted Kolkata Impress in 1-1 Draw vs Kerala

A depleted Atletico de Kolkata, without star forward Fikru Teferra, put up a spirited show but could not score that elusive winner settling for a 1-1 draw against a lucky Kerala Blasters FC in their fifth ISL encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday. (All images AFP)

Baljit Sahni gave Kolkata the lead in the 22nd minute with a powerful angular right-footer beating David James' outstretched hands.

Just when Atletico looked to press further, KBFC struck the equaliser from nowhere with former Championship goal-poacher Iain Hume again being the scorer, when he converted the opportunity with a smart finish beating a surging Subhasish Roy Chowdhury in the 41st minute of the match.

Atletico maintained their top position in the league table with 11 points from five games while Blasters earned their first point in their third game.

Luck too deserted Atletico as they failed to bring up the winner despite a superb effort by Baljit who clearly had a field day in absence of their star players.