Category: REWIND

When JAMSHEDPUR FC opted to go for a 4-1-4-1 formation, Coach Ivan Vukomanović opted to field Blasters unit under his effective 4-4-2 formation. With Ivan Kalyuzhnyi and Jeakson Singh taking care of the central midfield area, Sahal Abdul Samad and Rahul KP ware in-charge of the wing attacks. Captain Adrian Luna joined Dimitrios Diamantakos in finisher role.

‘THE MEN OF STEEL’, who were coming after losing 4 continuous matches made there statement loud and clear on the 4th touch on ball. A long ball cross from Jay Emmanuel-Thomas to the right flank of blasters penalty box within the first few seconds to the game made it clear that Jamshedpur Fc is desperate to get the 3 points. 2 minute in to the game, another long ball from Laldinliana Renthlei went ineffective as there were no JFC players to receive the ball. On the other side, Kerala Blasters played a composed and calculated game as they were tightly marshalled by Jamshedpur Fc on ever moves. A header attempt for Blasters by Sahal Abdul Samad on a cross from Ivan Kalyuzhnyi in the 4th minute was not powerful enough to test TP Rehenesh. A brilliant trough ball to the Jamshedpur Fc penalty box by Adrian Luna in the 5th minute could have caused trouble for the hosts if any of the Blasters strikers could be there to receive the ball. A shot from Ivan Kalyuzhnyi on cross from Luna in the 6th minute also went away from the post.

A clearance error in the Blasters half on the 9th minute resulted in Ritwik Das charging through the left wing and delivering a brilliant cross to the Blasters penalty box. But, a calm and confident Prabhsukhan Singh Gill was there to collect the ball to clear any danger. When attack swinged to the other direction, TP Rehenesh collected the ball safely when Rahul KP could not reach a cross from Marko Lešković. But, ‘MEN IN YELLOW’ was not that far from scoring. A freekick from Adrian Luna in the 17th minute was guided to the target by Dimitrios Diamantakos. With this goal Dimitrios Diamantakos matched the goal tally with Ivan Kalyuzhnyi as the leading goal scorer for Kerala Blaster in ISL season 9 scoring in the 4th match in a row.

An attempt from Sahal Abdul Samad in the 20th minute was denied by Jamshedpur custodian TP Rehenesh. Another attempt from Sahal in the 35th minute went away from the post. Jamshedpur Fc also had their fair share of attempts on goal. A shot on target from Ritwik Das in the 37th minute was denied by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill with a stunning save. Another shot on target for JFC from Boris Singh was comfortably collected by Blasters custodian in the 46th minute of the game ensuring that the score board remained in favour of Kerala Blasters when both teams walked out for the Half time.

With Kerala Blasters orchestrating the attack from midfield and Jamshedpur Fc closely defending each movement from the visitors, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi tried a long-range attempt in the 50th minute but missed the target marginally. Jamshedpur Fc shifted to ‘attacking mode’ in second half by introducing Ishan Pandita and Jitendra Singh on the 56th minute. 60th minute saw Ishan Pandita missing a clear chance with only Prabhsukhan Singh Gill between him and the target. Blasters also had our share of bad luck on the 66th minute when Rahul KP was unfortunate to miss the target on a pinpoint pass from Sandeep Singh into the penalty box. A header attempt in the 69th minute from Ishan Pandita and another one on by Daniel Chima Chukwu in the same minute narrowly missing the target got ‘The Red Miners’ close to scoring. Ishan Pandita again created trouble for the blasters defence again and brought down by Sandeep Singh inches away from the penalty box in the 72nd minute.

With a thin cushion of a 1 goal lead and feeling the heat at the ‘Furnace’ from the continuous attack from hosts, Blasters brought in Apostolos Giannou and Jessel Carneiro in the 76th minute replacing Dimitrios Diamantakos and Nishu Kumar respectively. Ishan Pandita knocked on the blasters goal line again in the 84th minute only to miss the target marginally. Blasters also introduced Saurav Mandal replacing Sahal Abdul Samad on the 85th minute and Adrian Luna was replaced by Víctor Mongil on the 94th minute to ensure that the hosts are kept away from scoring. And this ensured that Kerala Blasters walked away with the important 3 points in arow for the fourth time and also a clean sheet.

A Compact and Disciplined display of football from KBFC brought an end to the unbeaten streak of HFC at Gachiboli Stadium.When HFC Coach Manolo Márquez opted to go for a 4-2-3-1 formation, Coach Ivan Vukomanović opted to field Blasters unit with a 4-2-2-2 formation. With Nishu Kumar, Marko Lešković, Hormipam Ruivah and Sandeep Singh in charge of the defence unit, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi paired with Jeakson Singh in the defensive midfield role. With the local boys Sahal Abdul Samad and Rahul KP teaming up as attacking midfielders, Dimitrios Diamantakos and Captain Adrian Luna were deployed in finisher roles.

A shot from Bartholomew Ogbeche narrowly missing the target in the 7th minute got HFC close to the score line in the starting minutes itself. However, Dimitrios Diamantakos made no mistake for Blasters in the 18th minute on a rebound and found the target for the 3rd match in a row. With a one goal lead, Blasters attackers kept testing HFC defence. Rahul KP, who is proving again and again that he is a ‘CHALLANGE’ which the opponent defence needs to be worried about, made his presence felt in this match too. The man in jersey number 17 for blasters continues to fly under the radar of any defence unit with ease in game after game. A run from Rahul KP in the 20th minute got Blasters close to the score line. But, brilliant anticipation from Anuj Kumar in front of the crossbar rescued HFC. An acrobatic attempt from Bartholomew Ogbeche in the 22nd minute was stopped by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill inches away from the goal line. Blasters custodian displayed his brilliance again in the 32nd minute with a clearance when Barth Ogbeche was charging against a ball not that far away from the Blasters goal post.

Attacks swinging in both directions, Blasters were forced to replace the goal scorer Dimitrios Diamantakos with Apostolos Giannou due to an injury in the 34th minute. While Hyderabad FC leading the possession graph, Blasters came close to scoring again in the 37th minute. A header attempt from Sahal on a cross from Luna went inches away from target. With only seconds left for the half time whistle. Barth Ogbeche came close to the score line for the hosts with a header, only to miss the target again. Score board remained 1-0 for the half time whistle.

A brilliant run from a counterattack by Joel Chianese in the 51st minute failed to yield any result for the host when he chipped the ball straight in to the hands of Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. 52nd minute had action on the other end of the field. A pin pint cross from Rahul KP and a shot on target from Apostolos Giannou got Blasters fans to the edge of their seats. But, Hyderabad Custodian Anuj Kumar made sure the ball did not cross him. Rahul KP tested the Goalkeeper again in the 66th minute with a powerful long ranger and Anuj Kumar fisting the shot above the crossbar. Blasters replaced Sahal Abdul Samad with Saurav Mandal in the 73rd minute to add freshness to the game.

Aaren D’Silva failing to connect a cross inside the penalty for the hosts in the 92nd minute took away another chance from HFC. To tackle Hyderabad FC’s ‘full on attack’ mode to secure an equalizer, blasters brought in Víctor Mongil to the field replacing Adrian Luna in 93rd minute. HFC using all their arsenal with time drifting away from them, a no-nonsense defence with a compact and disciplined Kerala Blasters ensured to walk out of the field with 3 points and a clean sheet when score board remained 1-0 in favour of visitors at the final whistle.

Kerala Blasters FC successfully secured 3 points by winning against FC GOA on a 3-1 score line at Kochi.FC GOA made their message clear when Coach Carlos Peña opted to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation with all four foreign players in attacking roles. On other side Coach Ivan Vukomanović opted to field Blasters unit with his effective 4-4-2 formation. Only change in the starting line-up for Men in Yellow from last match was the ‘Supersub’ from last match returning to the starting line-up with a confidence boost. Sahal Abdul Samad started instead of Saurav Mandal in the Midfield for Blasters.

With Iker Vallejo narrowly missing the target on the 4th and 7th minutes, FC GOA made their presence felt from the very first minute from kick-off. Blasters also came close to that opening goal with Sahal Abdul Samad testing Dheeraj Singh twice in the 7th minute. And a header attempt from Marko Lešković missing the target in the 8th minute by whiskers. A shot on target from Álvaro Vázquez and an ‘Olympic goal’ attempt from Edu Bedia in the 10th minute were brilliantly denied by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. With FCGOA dominating the possession chart throughout the game, a disciplined KERALA BLASTERS unit made sure that the possession remained within the Goan defence line. Combined with the Blasters defence under a brilliant performance from Marko Lešković ensured that Goa attackers are silent for major share of the match. With Nishu Kumar clearing a dangerous move from Noah Sadaoui in the 11th minute. Blasters waited patiently to get back in the game. Meanwhile an attempt from Dimitrios Diamantakos for Blasters in the 19th minute went Fractionally wide from the target.

FC GOA had their first setback on the 21st minute when Saviour Gama had to be replaced by Sanson Pereira due to an injury. A header attempt from Adrian Luna on a cross from Rahul KP missed the target in the 22nd minute keeping the scoreline at level. Rahul KP was a constant threat for the opponents as he was disturbing their defence through right wing whenever he has the ball. With the clock ticking, the inevitable happened in the 42nd minute. ‘THE MAGICIAN’ in jersey number 20 strikes for the ‘MEN IN YELLOW’. A ‘tap in goal’ from Adrian Luna got Blasters the first goal in the match and the lead. Dimitrios Diamantakos was first unlucky when a shot from him on a pass from Adrian Luna hit the near post, however time proved that the ‘Greek Snipper’ cannot be kept long from scoring. Referee pointed towards the penalty spot on the 45th minute in favour of Blasters when Dimitrios Diamantakos was brought down inside the penalty box. With FC Goa custodian Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem going in the the wrong direction, Diamantakos ensured to hit the target to increase the lead for blasters. Score board stood in favour of Blasters till half time.

Blasters registered their 3rd goal on the 52nd minute. Ivan Kalyuzhnyi made it clear that he is a player whom the opponents defence need to be worried about. A powerful shot from the ‘Ukrainian Powerhouse’ found the bottom of the net even before Dheeraj Singh could react. With 3 goals down, FC GOA fought back with all the arsenal they had. Álvaro Vázquez found the target in the 59th minute for ‘Gaurs’. But, the offline flag was up before the ball even crossed the goal line. A shot on target from Iker Vallejo in the 62nd minute was brilliantly denied by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill who stood calm and confident. 63rd minute was the time for Dheeraj Singh to display his brilliance for Goa to deny an attempt from the blasters. With repeated attempts on goal, Goa found the target on 67th minute. A header from Noah Sadaoui took the clean sheet away from Blasters.

Ivan introduced fresh legs with a double sub in the 70th minute. Apostolos Giannou and Puitea replaced Dimitrios Diamantakos and Jeakson Singh. When Adrian Luna missed the target in the 72nd minute. A brilliant attempt from Edu Bedia in the 76th minute through a freekick was denied by blasters custodian Prabhsukhan Singh Gill yet again.Rahul KP again got the blasters fans to the edge of their seats in the 78th minute with a brilliant move. Apostolos Giannou was unlucky to miss the target on a cross from Rahul KP.

Coach again went for a double substitution with bringing in Saurav Mandal and Jessel Carneiro for Sahal Abdul Samad and Sandeep Singh. Also replacing Ivan Kalyuzhnyi with Víctor Mongil on the 89th minute. Both teams came close to scoring again on the 95th and 96th minutes. When Edu Bedia missed the target on a freekick in the 95th minute, Saurav Mandal was unlucky in connecting a pinpoint pass from Adrian Luna in the 96th minute. With 3-1 score line, score board remained in favour of KERALA BLASTERS on the final whistle with the Hosts walking back with the valuable 3 points.

With Dimitrios Diamantakos opening his account for KERALA BLASTERS FC and Sahal Abdul Samad scoring twice , ‘MEN IN YELLOW’ are back in the winning track by defeating NORTHEAST UNITED FC 3-0 at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.

With assistant coach Paul Groves in-charge of the team due to a suspension for coach Marco Balbul, NORTHEAST UNITED FC opted to go for a 5-3-2 formation. On other side Coach Ivan Vukomanović re-arranged the Blasters unit within his effective 4-4-2 formation. Blasters restructured the starting line-up with Sandeep Singh , Nishu Kumar and Hormipam Ruivah returning to the defence, Rahul KP, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, Jeakson Singh and Saurav Mandal taking care of the Midfield and Captain Adrian Luna joining Dimitrios Diamantakos in attack.

With both teams had their defence unit busy and effective against the opponent attack for the first 45 minutes, first half remained scoreless. Romain Philippateaux hitting the cross bar in the 8th minute was the only time when either team came close to the score line.

Second half started with a shot from Emil Benny in the 51st minute for the ‘HIGHLANDERS’ narrowly missing the target.Things changed in favour of the Blasters in 56th minute. Dimitrios Diamantakos guided ball to the net with a soft touch from an assist from Saurav Mandal.With a super sub warming up on the side-line for Blasters, score board was not going to remain the same for long. Sahal Abdul Samad replaced Saurav Mandal in the 65th minute to mark the most appearance in ISL from a player in Kerala Blasters jersey.

Blasters also replaced the goal scorer Dimitrios Diamantakos with Apostolos Giannou in attack. Aron Evans tested Prabhsukhan Singh Gill on the 71st minute with a tricky dipping volley. And presence of mind from the Blasters custodian save an attempt from Norteast United FC on 82nd minute. A dangerous run by Emil Benny from a clearance error from blasters in the 83rd minute was safely brought down by Sandeep Singh inside the penalty box. With 5 minutes more to the regular time, the super sub found the target. A goal by the Kerala deo. Assist from Rahul KP guided to goal by Sahal Abdul Samad. Blasters made a double replacement Víctor Mongil and Puitea replacing Hormipam Ruivah and Ivan Kalyuzhnyi in the 87th minute. Jessel Carneiro came in replaced Nishu Kumar with 3 minutes to the extra time.

An attempt from Rahul KP in the 95th minute was saved by Northeast United FC custodian Mirshad Michu. But score board clicked in favour of Blasters on the very next minute. Sahal Abdul Samad finding the net for the MEN IN YELLOW from an assist by Sandeep Singh. With time clicking away, final whistle was blown with KERALA Blasters FC walking with 3 points and a clean sheet.

When Mumbai City FC opted for 4-2-3-1 formation, Coach Ivan Vukomanović gone with his effective 4-4-2 formation with two changes from the last match. Ivan Kalyuzhnyi and Hormipam Ruivah were replaced by Rahul KP and Víctor Mongil with Sahal Abdul Samad partnering Dimitrios Diamantakos.

Visitors started attacking from the very first touch on the ball and tested the Blasters custodian when it was just 10 minutes into the game. With Lallianzuala Chhangte and Bipin Singh Thounaojam testing the Blasters defence trough wings repeatedly, Blasters could not step into the attacking football which Ivan Vukomanović’s men are known for. Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia) tested his shooting skills on the blasters defence line in the 5th minute but failed to find the target. With Greg Stewart and Apuia moving up and causing troubles for the blasters defence, visitors dominated the game and possession throughout the first half. With Mehtab Singh scoring from a corner in the 21st minute and Jorge Pereyra Díaz finding the net in the 31st minute, visitors had the score board in their favour till half time.

It looked like the half time talk in Kerala Blasters dressing room showed results. Blasters slowly got the game back from the dominating Mumbai City. ‘MEN IN YELLOW’ started putting pressure on Mumbai City defence, winning balls in the midfield with the defence line more organized and dominating against Mumbai City attacks. This started to reflect in the game immediately, with a header from Dimitrios Diamantakos on a cross from Adrian Luna in the 52nd minute narrowly missing the target. His attaching partner Sahal Abdul Samad tried his luck by whipping the ball towards the Mumbai city goal line on the 53rd minute. With constant attack from blasters, Mumbai city custodian Phurba Tempa Lachenpa stood as the last line of defence multiple times. A screamer from Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 57th minute was denied only because of a brilliant save from Phurba Lachenpa. Jeakson Singh also joined the list on the 57th minute by attempting a header which could not find the target. With Rahul Kp causing trouble for the visitors, blasters kept on penetrating the Mumbai city defence.

When game was flowing towards the Mumbai city defence, visitors also made isolated attempts to bring back the pressure on blasters defence. One such attempt in the 69th minute from Mehtab Singh went away from the post. Blasters replaced Víctor Mongil and Sahal Abdul Samad with Hormipam Ruivah and Ivan Kalyuzhnyi in the 70th minute. A quick counterattack from blasters on 72nd minute almost got the hosts on the score card. A shot from Adrian Luna hit the inside post and bounces back and header attempt form Rahul KP narrowly missing then near post. Mumbai city fc also had their share of missing chances on the other end. Lallianzuala Chhangte’s shot went far away from target on 73rd minute when there was only the Blasters custodian Prabhsukhan Singh Gill between him and the goalpost. Puitea was replaced by Bidyashagar Singh in the 81st minute by blasters. A shot from Luna in the 94th minute missed the target for Blasters again. Rahul KP and Adrián Luna were replaced by Bryce Brian Miranda and Saurav Mandal to bring in fresh legs. However, the score card remained in favour of the visitors 2-0.

Though KERALA BLASTERS could not secure three points against the inform MUMBAI CITY FC on a close fight, match ended up with positive signs for the ‘MEN IN YELLOW’ from the second half.

After leading the score board for first 45 minutes of the game, ‘MEN IN YELLOW’ unfortunate not to secure a point again. When both teams were not ready to settle for anything less than 3 points, it was a match of two teams playing with calculated attacks. When Odisha FC opted for 4-3-3 formation, Coach Ivan made a slight change by moving Ivan Kalyuzhnyi behind the target man Dimitrios Diamantakos which made the formation change to 4-4-1-1.

Contrary to the full-on attaching football which Kerala Blasters is known for, Blasters played with measured moves. On the other hand, Odisha FC too played tactically by killing each move from Kerala Blasters in the midfield itself before it could progress to the attacking third. Though Jerry Mawihmingthanga found the back of the net on the 7th minute, rule book stood against him. Goal was not allowed as contact was made when the ball was under the control of Blasters custodian Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. Ivan Kalyuzhnyi tested Amrinder Singh on the 10th minute of the game for the Blasters. Whereas, Thoiba Singh Moirangthem did the same against the visitors on the 24th minute.

With attacks swinging in each direction Kerala Blasters opened the score card with a brilliant tactical goal on the 35th minute. When Adrián Luna walked towards the corner flag, the only player who was walking back from the Odisha penalty box was Harmanjot Singh Khabra. With Marko Lešković inside the box anticipating a corner, this looked like the defender was going back to his position to safeguard the defence line to tackle any counter attacks. Luna opted for a short pass to Puitea and brought the ball to open play. When players were moving back from penalty box, the man with jersey number 10 for Kerala Blasters brilliantly moved into the penalty box and remained unmarked by any Odisha players. A pinpoint cross from Luna and a header by Khabra looked like a move made to perfection from the practice ground. It could be a coincidence that Harmanjot Singh Khabra registered his name on score card against the same opponents last season too.

Blasters custodian was quick to clear a dangerous shot from Diego Maurício on the 47th minute. However, the man in jersey number 17 for Odisha FC turned the score board to ‘Square One’ for the host on the 54th minute. Jerry Mawihmingthanga was quick enough to get his boots on to a rebound inside the Kerala Blasters penalty box. After finding the equalizer, Odisha FC started testing the Blasters defence line consistently. Rahul KP replaced Sahal Abdul Samad on 60th minute for Blasters. Blasters also made a double substitution on the 64th minute when Víctor Mongil replaced Ivan Kalyuzhnyi and Nihal Sudeesh came in for Hormipam Ruivah. The very next minute Odisha also introduced fresh legs with a triple substitution. Nanda Kumar replaced by Isak Vanlalruatfela, Pedro Martin replacing Diego Maurício and Raynier Fernandes replacing Issac Vanmalsawma.

Odisha custodian was spot on in collecting a header from Dimitrios Diamantakos on a cross from Luna on the 67th minute. Very next minute Jerry tested Prabhsukhan Singh Gill for the hosts. Amrinder Singh managed to get his finger on the ball to clear an attempt from Jeakson Singh Thounaojam for Blasters on the 77th minute. Odisa replaced Thoiba Singh Moirangthem with Paul Ramfangzauva on the 80th min. A header attempt from Raynier Fernandes on the 85th minute for Odisha Fc went away from the target. But Odisha FC managed to take the lead the very next minute. A long ball clearance from Amrinder Singh on the 86th minute was guided to the net by Pedro Martin. Blasters replaced Harmanjot Singh Khabra with Nishu Kumar and Puitea with Saurav Mandal on the 87th minute. Odisha also went for their final substitution with Jerry replaced by Denechandra Meitei.

Two minutes into the extra time, an attempt from Dimitrios Diamantakos to get a pass to the penalty box was blocked by Amrinder Singh. Score board remained in favour of Odisha FC when the final whistle went out.

After scoring first goal and taking the lead within 6 minutes to the game, Kerala Blasters were unfortunate to go down for a 2-5 score line against ATK Mohun Bagan FC on Sunday night. ATK Mohun Bagan FC Coach Juan Ferrando opted for a 3-4-3 against the 4-4-2 formation from Blasters tactician Ivan Vukomanović. The men in yellow opted to start with the star performer from last match, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi with Apostolos Giannou on the bench.

With the loyal fans painting Kochi in yellow again, Kerala blasters stormed the ATK Mohun Bagan FC goal line from the very first second of the game. And this resulted in a goal with just 6 minutes on clock. After successfully winning the ball from Ashique Kuruniyan, Dimitrios Diamantakos guided it to Ivan Kalyuzhnyi who had a one two pass with Şahal Abdul Samad inside the penalty box and fount bottom of the net. With a one goal lead on the score board, Blasters kept testing ATK Mohun Bagan FC defence. Keeping ATK Mohun Bagan FC custodian Vishal Kaith busy and Ashique Kuruniyan in his new left back role struggling to mark Sahal Abdul Samad, the blasters took the visitors out of game for the first 25 min.

When it looked like the score card is going to remain same till the half time, ATK Mohun Bagan FC scored the equilizer at the 19th minute of the game. A quick counterattack against the flow of the game got them the equalizer they needed. Hugo Boumous rushed to the penalty box and passed the ball to Dimitri Petratos through a re-organizing Blasters defence. Experienced Australian made no mistake in guiding it to the net when the clock had 19 minutes more for the half time.
With both teams fighting toe to toe for the next goal and defenders tested on both ends, Manvir Singh slipping the ball through Blasters defence to find Joni Kauko on 38th minute made the score board tick again. This time for visitors which resulted in them taking the lead. Score board remained 1-2 in favour of the visitors when the half time whistle was blown.

Subhasish Bose replaced Ashique Kuruniyan for ATK Mohun Bagan FC soon after the half time. An experienced defender in back line gave the visitors more confidence in attack which resulted in a second goal from Dimitri Petratos in the 62nd minute which increased their lead. From a pinpoint pass from Liston Colaco inside the penalty box, the Australian who managed to slip through blasters defence line found the target at ease.With men in yellow down by 2 goals, Coach Ivan brought in fresh legs with a double replacement in 65th minute. When Blasters went with Rahul KP replacing Sahal Abdul Samad and Nishu Kumar replacing Harmanjot Singh Khabra, ATK Mohun Bagan FC replaced Deepak Tangri with Lenny Rodrigues. Trying to get the game back from visitors, blasters replaced Ivan Kalyuzhnyi with Apostolos Giannou on the 69th minute. This was countered by Florentin Pogba replacing Hugo Boumous for ATK Mohun Bagan FC on the 71st minute.

An individual brilliance with a blistering run and a powerful shot from Rahul KP slipped through the hands of Vishal Kaith made the score board ticking in favour of blasters. With 3-2 score line and continuous shots on target made it look like the ‘MEN IN YELLOW’ are all set for a comeback. But, soon after Lalrinliana Hnamte replying Manvir Singh on the 86th minute, visitors increased their lead through Lenny Rodrigues.

Game progressing to 2nd minute of the added time. An assist from Liston got the Dimitri Petratos registering the first hattrick in ISL 9. With 5 goals against 2, score board remained in favour of the visitors.Not a result which Kerala Blasters played for and not a result our fans wanted. But, losing is an opportunity for us from our mistakes. As coach Ivan say, ‘Football is a game of continuous learning and improvisation’.

With packed stadium of ‘YELLOW SEA’ and two teams fighting hard till the last minute for 3 points, the opening match for ISL 9 was electrifying in all means. A score line of 3-1 KERALA BLASTERS emerging victorious does not tell the complete story. With a tough fight till the end and scoring a goal against the flow of the game, EAST BENGAL FC have also sent out a clear message for opponents in the opening game itself.

The first ISL match open for the fans after the pandamic had all the beauty of possession football when both teams opted to play with a 4-4-2 formation.With Marko Leskovic narrowly missing the target at the 5th minute to a curler by Adrian Luna from the left corner, Blasters were first to get closer to goal.East Bengal made their presence felt in the game within no time. Intercepting a pass from the Blasters midfield, East Bengal was quick to get the ball through blasters defence line on the 7th minute. A powerful screamer by Alex Lima from just outside the penalty box was saved by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill through a full-length dive. Seconds left for the 10th minute our target man Apostolos Giannou managed to break the East Bengal defence for a cross from the captain Jessel Carneiro but missed the target. Blasters again came close to scoring on the 25th minute. Sahal Abdul Samad switched to the left wing and reached closer to the East Bengal goal line. Noticing that the East Bengal defenders were quick to block the target, he passed the ball to Lalthathanga Khawlhring (Puitea) who took a shot which missed the goal post narrowly. A freekick attempt on target from Adrian Luna was denied by East Bengal goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh with a magnificent save.

Failing to score in the first 45 minutes, Kerala Blasters attack became more consistent in the second half. Kamaljit Singh emerged as a saviour for East Bengal twice. A powerful shot on target from Apostolos Giannou at the 49th minute and a close range shot from Adrian Luna at the 53rd minute was denied by individual brilliance from the East Bengal custodian. Blasters replaced Sahal Abdul Samad with Rahul KP at the 71st minute to add freshness to attack.

First Goal of ISL 9 came in at the 72nd minute through a long ball assist by Harmanjot Singh Khabra from middle of the pitch. Adrian Luna managed to break the East Bengal defence and guide the ball to the net with his first touch.With 20 minutes more to the regular time, Coach Ivan Vukomanović introduced one of his lethal weapons to ISL 9. Ukrainian central midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi came in for attacker Apostolos Giannou. With this change, Blasters switched to an Indian foreign combo with Rahul KP joining Dimitrios.Diamantakos in attack. By converting a brilliant individual run in 82nd minute and a powerful volley in 89th minute to goals, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi emerged as the super-sub for Kerala Blasters in the opening match. East Bengal was not ready to go down without a fight. Alex Lima managed to remain unmarked inside the Blasters penalty box to convert a corner to goal for the Red and Gold Brigade at the 88th minute