Kerala Blasters ruined Bengaluru FC's enviable clean-sheet record, but lost, 1-3, to their arch-rivals after two fatal errors in either halves of the Indian Super League match in Kochi on Friday.
Jesus Jimenez converted a penalty in first half injury time, won by the industry of Kwame Peprah, to beat Gurpreet Singh for the first time this season in over 450 minutes.
But Bengaluru regained control of the match with a gift from goalkeeper Som Kumar in the 74th minute. Substitute Edgar Ortega pounced on a loose ball after the young custodian spilt a cross he seemed to have collected cleanly. That goal silenced the home crowd that had been lively until then. The Spanish striker scored again in added time from a counter attack when the Blasters had left the backdoor wide open in search of a dramatic equaliser.
At that point the Blasters stopped believing. But for the final quarter of the match, even as they stared at defeat, the Manjappada had faith and manufactured a handful of chances; Peprah danced into the box before firing narrowly wide, Jimenez couldn't get his shot away from a melee in the box and Rahul almost scored.
League leaders Bengaluru had arrived at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with a near-perfect record of four wins and a draw. They had scored ten and conceded none. But that impregnable defence had never looked more suspect than tonight when after going behind to an error, the hosts elevated their game.
It was casual play from Pritam Kotal that gifted Bengaluru their opener in the 8th minute. Former Blasters striker Jorge Pereyra Diaz pressed hard and won it cleanly from the Blasters centre-back before elegantly chipping it over an advancing Som Kumar.
He celebrated wildly, gunning at the home crowd. There was much anger in the stands aimed at the Argentine and the referee, whom they accused of being soft on the visiting players and harsh on their own.
Fortunately for Mikael Stahre, the fury in the stands did not spill over onto the ground, rather it reinvigorated the home team, who came roaring since going behind.
The Blasters attacked Bengaluru relentlessly, but often lacked that sharpness that defined their offensive moves in recent matches. The missing piece was Noah Sadaoui, the Moroccan attacker, who had been their best player so far, but was missing from the matchday squad with an injury.
Ghanaian Peprah, a reliable substitute in recent rounds, earned the start alongside Jesus Jimenez in Noah's place. It was Peprah who often initiated the counter-press. Jimenez hit the bar on the volley, and Peprah scuffed a shot straight at Gurpreet before Vibin fired over. The Blasters were doing just about everything right except scoring.
But then, in the dying moments of the first half, Naocha played a wishful through ball that Peprah chased down. He went flying past Nikhil Poojary and former Blasters defender Rahul Bheke. He arrived at the box and prepared to shoot, leaving Bheke no chance but to take out the opponent. But that foul was inside the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Jesus stepped up to get his fourth goal for the campaign.
But the numbers that matter are reflected in the points table led by Bengaluru, who sit pretty on 16 points from six rounds, eight points clear of Blasters in the 5th position.
