ISL: Kerala Blasters ring in Christmas with 2-0 win over Mumbai City at home

Kochi: Kerala Blasters FC produced a thorough entertainer for their home fans as they scored twice in the first half to go past Mumbai City FC by 2-0 with ease at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on Sunday.

Poised to struggle in the absence of skipper Adrian Luna, the team swept aside those concerns with their forward duo of Dimitrios Diamantakos and Kwame Peprah joining hands to beat the Islanders and get level on points (23) with the top-placed FC Goa.

Peprah, 23, and his 30-year-old Greek teammate made light work of the Mumbai City FC defensive unit, outpacing them and also demonstrating slick footwork, and impeccable decision-making inside the final third to tear the visitors’ backline apart.

In the 11th minute, Peprah broke into the left side of the penalty box, taking on Rostyn Griffiths and manoeuvring a crowded backline to deliver a pass to Diamantakos. The striker somehow got to the end of the delivery and scraped it into the back of the net to give Kerala Blasters FC an early lead.

Their domestic counterpart Rahul K P soon began actively participating in the proceedings, trying to hammer a shot past Phurba Lachenpa minutes before the half-time break, but failing to hit the target. The Islanders must have sniffed a chance to get back, but Ivan Vukomanovic and his men ensured that they didn’t bring down the momentum and waves of offensive pressure that they were inflicting on the opposition.

Peprah has been one of the most impactful additions to the Kerala Blasters FC squad this season. The Ghanaian has joined a list of other young internationals like Rei Tachikawa (25), Cy Goddard (26), and Milos Drincic (24), amongst others who are bringing about a tectonic shift by making the ISL their home at the peak of his careers.

The sharpness in his skill set was reflected in his strike which was the second successful one of the night for the home side. Diamantakos warded off the duo of Mehtab Singh and Lalengmawia Ralte to play a pass to Peprah in the middle of the box. In one take, the striker dispatched the ball into the back of the net late in the added time of the first half, showing tremendous finishing finesse and a sense of agility in his style of play that is incredible to watch.

Vukomanovic and his tactical nous kicked in during the second half, as he ensured that his backline consolidated to cap off with a clean sheet and induce upon Mumbai City FC their opening defeat of the season.

Bengaluru hold NorthEast United

Hosts Bengaluru FC bounced back with a late equaliser by the 22-year-old Sivasakthi Narayanan to settle for a point after a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

For a long stretch of the proceedings, it appeared that a drab, goalless draw was on the cards. NorthEast United FC did not make many chances, but one particular long-distance shot from Jithin M S in the 56th minute required a fully stretched Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to palm the ball away. Steadily, they capitalised on a Bengaluru FC backline that was arguably dropping their guard, as the fleet-footed Parthib Gogoi earned a spot-kick for the Highlanders in the 86th minute.

Up stepped Nestor Albiach to take the penalty, as he shot it with such firm power and precision that Sandhu couldn’t help his team’s cause this time around. However, what that goal did was reinvigorate the spirits of the home side, who perhaps realised the repercussions that could have come with another home defeat. They pressed all their buttons, attacking the box from lateral areas, and a curling, accurate cross by Jessel Carneiro from the left flank was met perfectly and nodded home by substitute Sivasakthi to salvage a point for the Gerard Zaragoza-coached side.