Kerala Blasters FC kicked off the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023 season with a 2-1 win over rivals Bengaluru FC at Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday, September 21. Seeking revenge for last season’s controversial defeat in the South India derby, Kerala were able to put one over Sunil Chhetri-less Bengaluru side to earn three points.
An own goal from Keziah Veendorp gave Kerala a breakthrough in the early stages of the second half and then star attacking midfielder and team captain Adrian Luna added a brilliant solo goal to stretch the lead to 2-0. Bengaluru were superior in terms of possession and passing accuracy throughout the game and threatened a late comeback when substitute Curtis Main added a goal in the 90′ minute. But Kerala’s sturdy defence managed to defend their lead in the extra time (7 minutes) and clinched a deserving win.
Kerala Blasters FC Starting Lineup: Sachin, Prabir, Pritam, Milos, Aiban, Daisuke, Jeakson, Danish, Aimen, Adrian Luna (c), Peprah
Bengaluru FC Starting Lineup: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (c), Roshan, Jovanovic, Damjanovic, Jessel, Bhutia, Rohit, Suresh, Keziah, Williams, Sivasakthi
More to follow…