Author: KBFC-Media

Kolkata: 27 August 2023: A closely contested pre-season friendly between Kerala Blasters FC and Punjab FC ended in a 2-3 victory for the team from Punjab.

This afternoon, both teams played at the AIFF Center of Excellence in Kolkata with pre-season game time and squad depth being the underlying focus of the game.

An early goal by Punjab FC, Hero ISL’s newest team, established the lead, setting up a tussle that continued throughout the first half as both teams attempted to outflank each other through constant attacks. Bidyashagar, in good form, scored the equalizer following a precise ball delivery by fellow statesman Naocha Singh.

As both teams retreated back into the sheds at the end of the first half, the score was 1-1. Entering the second half, Kerala Blasters made as many as five changes to their starting XI, and soon into the second half Punjab FC registered two goals in quick succession to put pressure on the Blasters unit.

Post the 60-minute mark the Blasters again introduced more fresh legs into the game making five more changes at constant intervals ensuring some match-time to every available member of the squad.

Around the 75th minute Miloš Drinčić and Yoihenba Meitei replaced Hormipam Ruivah and skipper Adrian Luna respectively, Miloš the towering Montenegrin center back stepping foot on the pitch for the first time in KBFC colors made an immediate impact when he headed a ball delivered from a corner-kick set piece, making the score 2-3.

As the final whistle blew, both teams shook hands with Punjab FC holding onto their one-goal lead to the end. After the conclusion of this pre-season match, the Kerala Blasters will finish their stay in Kolkata and regroup in Kochi for a few days prior to embarking on the Hala Blasters Tour 2023, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates from September 5 to 16, 2023.

First Half :

GK: Karanjit Singh

Pritam Kotal ,Hormipam Ruivah, Marko Lešković, Naocha Singh, Bryce Miranda, Jeakson Singh, Danish Farooq, Sourav Mandal, Bidyashagar Singh, Adrian Luna

Second Half :

GK: Sachin Suresh

Prabir Das ,Hormipam Ruivah, Bijoy Varghese, Naocha Singh, Bryce Miranda, Jeakson Singh, Danish Farooq, Nihal Sudeesh, Rahul KP, Adrian Luna

Subs : Vibin Mohanan, Mohammad Azhar, Sandeep Singh, Justine Emmanuel, Muhammed Saheef, Miloš Drinčić and Yoihenba Meitei

Kerala Blasters stepped on the field at East Bengal Ground in Kolkata for an afternoon game against Indian Air Force Football Team earlier today. The eleven to take field in today’s game had a large core of youngsters lead by the experienced Pritam Kotal who donned the captain’s armband in absence of Adrian Luna.

The Blasters dictated the pace of the game from the very first whistle with precise and sharp passing, creating constant attacks at the goal of the opponent.

This sustained pressure helped Blasters in scoring their first goal in the 9th minute through a well placed shot from young Mohammed Aimen, earning him, his third goal in as many games of the tournament.

Bidyashagar soon added to the Blasters goal tally with a clean strike in the 12th minute to assert his presence in the game. From there through the end of the first half KBFC held a large chunk of the possession with the midfielders combining smartly with the strikers to create multiple chances, without any further addition to the goals scored.

In the second half, Kerala Blasters opened their scoring in the 57th minute through midfielder Danish Farooq who impressed with his all-round play both at the back and frontline of the pitch today.

In the 62nd minute Vibin Mohanan provided a nicely aimed left footed cross that Bidyashagar headed into the goal to make it 4-0 for Blasters.

KBFC rounded off their goal count for with a fifth goal in the 82nd minute again through Bidyashagar, who also brought up his hat-trick through that strike, producing a near flawless performance in the game.

Kerala Blasters bows out of the Durand Cup 2023 with this dominant performance, with the highlight being the younger, inexperienced members of the squad stepping up and performing for the team.

Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC played out a 2-2 draw in their Group C match of the Durand Cup earlier this evening.

The match was a closely contested affair, with the Kerala Blasters creating plenty of chances without the finishing required to close out the game. In comparison, the largely inexperienced Bengaluru FC side made the most of the limited number of chances they managed to create through precision shooting in front of the net.

Kerala Blasters took the lead in the 14th minute through a goal from young Nigerian forward Justine Emmanuel, and from that point onwards, the Blasters strung together multiple attacks against the young BFC side without bearing any addition to the goal tally. Eventually in the 38th minute, against the run of play, Bengaluru forward Edmund Lalrindika equalised for his team.

From that point forward, the intensity of the game picked up for both teams, ending the half-time at 1-1 on an equal footing.

Kerala Blasters began the second half with much higher intensity, raising the pace of the game in pursuit of a goal to break the deadlock; however, this created openings in the Blasters formation, which were brought to the fore by a goal from Ashish Jha in the 52nd minute that brought the Blues into the lead.

Following the trend of the game, Rahul KP’s left-footed attempt missed the goal by a whisker in the 55th minute. Soon after, Rahul was subbed out for Ishan Pandita, who stepped on the field for his new team in the 59th minute, while Danish Farooq was replaced with young Mohammed Aimen in the 67th minute.

These changes brought a new influx of energy into the Kerala Blasters attack, creating more and more pressure on the BFC defence. Eventually, in the 83rd minute, Aimen found the back of the net with a flawlessly placed goal after receiving a clinical pass from skipper Adrian Luna.

With scores tied at 2-2, the Blasters suffered a body blow when defender Hormipam Ruivah received his second yellow card of the game in the 84th minute, leading to KBFC having to play with only 10 men for the remaining 14 minutes of the game.

Post-injury time, when the final whistle was blown in the 98th minute, both teams found themselves level at 2-2.