ISL 2016 semifinal: Watch Belfort's solo goal seal the first leg for Kerala Blasters against Delhi Dynamos

Kerala Blasters played some solid football to defeat Delhi Dynamos 1-0 in the first leg of the ISL semifinal in Kochi on Sunday. It was the brilliance of Kervens Belfort, who danced his way through Delhi's defence to score the all-important goal.

Though Delhi enjoyed better ball possession during the match, they could not find the back of the net, leading to the loss. They will hope to be clinical in the second leg on Wednesday.

The match started off on a great note, with both teams threatening at goal in the first few minutes. In fact, Dynamos got a huge chance to silence the home crowd in the first minute, but Kean Lewis failed to convert. A goal could have been a dream start for the visitors. 

It was end-to-end stuff as Kerala Blasters got a chance at the other end in the next minute. They were quick on the counter and looked on course for the opening goal, but in-form striker CK Vineeth failed to hit the target, which was disappointing for the sea of yellow fans seated inside the stadium.

It was a feisty contest with few tackles flying in the first 15 minutes or so. Kerala's Josu Currais looked frustrated after being booked, and the manager Steve Coppell decided to replace him with Boris Kadio. It might have been a tactical change, but the fear of Josu being shown the marching orders might have also prompted Coppell to make the change.

Things began to settle down as the match progressed with both teams eager to break the deadlock.

The home team piled some huge pressure in the final few minutes of the first half, and Belfort had even found the back of the net in the 45^th minute, but it was disallowed as the linesman flagged it for a handball. The players were utterly disappointed with the decision and charged at the linesman as the referee blew his whistle, bring the first 45 minutes to an end.

The hosts, who finished the first half on a high, were pressing Delhi's defence, and it was Kerala Blasters looking most likely to score that opening goal. Primarily, they were attacking from the right flank primarily.

With such pressure, it was Kerala that took the lead after a brilliant goal from Belfort, who dribbled past many Delhi defenders to slot the ball home in the 65th minute, which was also helped by the defender, who deflected it in. Belfort gained immense confidence with the goal and tried to go for another solo run, but the Delhi defence stood firm.

Delhi, in desperate need of a goal, were moving forward with intent, hoping to draw level. They came close to the equaliser as Marcelinho's header was cleared on the goal line by Cedric Hengbart.

Despite both teams giving it their all in the last few minutes, the score remained 1-0 in favour of the home side, who will now travel to Delhi for the second leg, where they need to play some more consistent football to reach the final.