Kochi: Kerala Blasters FC defeated Bengaluru FC 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in the first match of the Indian Super League 2023-24 season. Adrian Luna, the Blasters’ captain, was at the heart of both strikes, taking the corner for the first and netting the second to help his club secure three points after a hard-fought first half saw both teams go into the tunnel without bothering the scorers.
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The first half was difficult, with both teams fighting tooth and nail to get a lead. There was little to divide the two teams in terms of possession, shots taken, and even offensive criteria in terms of attempted crosses.
Both teams came close to breaking the deadlock as the half progressed, with the Blasters’ Daisuke Sakai’s right-footed attempt in the 33rd minute being stopped by Sandhu in the top middle of the goal. A few minutes later, Bengaluru responded with Suresh Singh Wangjam and Sivasakhti Narayanan smoothly interlinking near the Kerala box. Wangjam fired a strong shot, but Sachin Suresh easily saved it.
Kerala Blasters emerged as a revitalised outfit in the second half of the game, capitalising on a corner conceded by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to draw the game’s first blood. In the 52nd minute, Luna fired in a curling kick that Dutch midfielder Keziah nodded into the net to give Bengaluru the important lead.
"𝙐𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨" 😉#AdrianLuna, the match-winner for @KeralaBlasters shares his thoughts in an exclusive post-game interview! ⚽🎙️#KBFCBFC #ISL #ISL10 #LetsFootball #ISLonJioCinema #ISLonSports18 | @Sports18 pic.twitter.com/tCjU7SOkcI
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 22, 2023
Blues head coach Simon Grayson responded to the move by replacing Veendorp with Spaniard Javi Hernandez in an attempt to strengthen the team’s frontline as they sought an equaliser. Kerala, on the other hand, increased in confidence after that score, with Luna forcing a mistake from Sandhu in the 69th minute. During an offensive move, the custodian accidentally touched the ball too hard, enabling Kerala’s captain an open net to fire into and score his second goal of the night.
Grayson sent on youngsters like Harsh Patre and Monirul Molla in the final 10 minutes to try to get back into the game. However, it was their newest addition, Curtis Main, who scored the back of the net in the 90th minute, sparking a short hope of an away team comeback that was eventually thwarted by Kerala’s defensive unit.
