Kerala Blasters thrash East Bengal 3-1 in ISL opener

KOCHI: Kerala Blasters got off to a winning start in the Indian Super League (ISL) against East Bengal FC as the Manjappada chants echoed throughout the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after two seasons.

Adrian Luna’s opener and Ivan Kaliuzhnyi’s brace in the second half were enough to secure a 3-1 win for the Blasters. Alex Lima was on the scoresheet for East Bengal FC.

Both teams had opportunities to break the deadlock in the first half. In the seventh minute, Alex Lima cut onto his left foot and attempted to place the ball into the bottom left corner. Prabhsukhan Singh Gill was at full stretch to palm the Brazilian’s shot behind for a corner.

Three minutes later, at the other end, Apostolos Giannou found himself at the end of a sublime cross from Jessel Carneiro. However, the Australian could not keep his shot on target.

In the 42nd minute, Luna tested Kamaljit Singh with a freekick. The ball bounced awkwardly right in front of Kamaljit, who managed to parry it behind the goal and only conceded a corner.

The Blasters kicked it up a notch in the second half. Five minutes in, Giannou was denied after his deflected strike was brilliantly saved by Kamaljit. The East Bengal FC shot-stopper was at it again just three minutes later as he blocked Luna’s close-range effort at his near post.

RESULT: Kerala Blasters 3 (Luna 72, Kalyuzhnyi 82, 89) bt East Bengal 1 (Alex 88).