Recap

Kerala Blasters FC produced a stellar comeback in the second half to complete a 2-1 victory against East Bengal FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday.

In front of a passionate and vociferous home crowd, the Blasters struck twice in the final 30 minutes to secure all three points from the contest, with goals from Noah Sadaoui and Kwame Peprah after the visitors took the lead with a strike from Vishnu PV.

Powered by impactful forwards from both sides, the first half saw close chances for Jesus Jimenez and Dimitrios Diamantakos. Both forwards were unable to convert those opportunities for their respective teams, leaving the game goalless at halftime.

But in the 59th minute, Diamantakos paved the way for the Red and Gold Brigade to take an important lead away from home.

Kerala Blasters FC defender Sandeep Singh’s clearance was intercepted by Nandhakumar Sekar, who laid the ball off to Diamantakos inside the box. The Greek forward could have attempted a shot but instead squared a pass for the 22-year-old Vishnu PV 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 ignited the comeback, steering the offense forward and breaking past the East Bengal FC defence with ease. His sharp footwork and movement in the box allowed him to net the equalizer 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 at the feet of Mohammed Aimen, who spotted Kwame Peprah in 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 first win for the Mikael Stahre-coached team.