Kochi, Sep 23 (IANS): Kerala Blasters FC produced a stellar second half comeback, to win 2-1 against East Bengal FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in their Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 clash on Sunday.
In front of a passionate and vociferous home crowd, the boys in yellow struck twice in the final 30 minutes to secure all three points from the contest, with strikes by Noah Sadaoui and Kwame Peprah.
Powered by impactful forwards from both ends, the opening half of the game saw close chances coming the way of Jesus Jimenez and Dimitrios Diamantakos. The duo was unable to convert those opportunities for their respective sides, but in the 59th minute, Diamantakos paved the way for the Red & Gold Brigade to take an important lead away from home.
Kerala Blasters FC defender Sandeep Singh’s clearance was intercepted by the lively Nandhakumar Sekar on the left flank for East Bengal FC. The attacker laid the ball for Diamantakos inside the box. The Greek forward could have attempted a shot, but he instead squared a pass for the 22-year-old Vishnu Puthiya on the right. Vishnu met the pass perfectly and tapped the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring for his side.
Kerala Blasters FC striker Noah Sadaoui then set the comeback on, steering the offence forward and breaking past the East Bengal FC defence with utmost ease. His sharp footwork and movement in the box allowed him to get an equaliser past Prabhsukhan Singh Gill in the 63rd minute.
The proceedings were fairly balanced thereafter, but the home side arguably grew into the game on the back of their crowd support.
East Bengal FC defender Anwar Ali’s hasty clearance landed on the feet of Mohammed Aimen, who spotted Kwame Peprah with space near the 18-yard box. Peprah took his time and buried the ball into the back of the net in the 88th minute to seal the win for the Mikael Stahre-coached team. This was the 12th goal after the 85th minute mark in ISL 2024-25, highlighting how teams and results are going down to the wire, giving fans, exciting footballing action in the stadium and on TV.