There was a sense of insistence about the Blasters on Thursday night, an understanding that, even if the rhythm dipped, the result would not.
At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, they found a way.
A 2–1 victory over Odisha FC was ultimately decided deep into stoppage time, when Matías Hernández rose with conviction to meet a corner and guide home the winner. It was the kind of moment that tends to define dressing rooms. Late, decisive, and built on collective persistence.
Kerala began with clarity. Their left side carried intent early on, with Kévin Yoke repeatedly stretching Odisha’s defensive line. The opener reflected that pressure rather than a single moment of brilliance scrappy, reactive, and sharp in execution.
When the ball broke kindly inside the box, Víctor Bertomeu adjusted quickest, showing composure to finish from close range and give the hosts an early advantage.
For a period, it felt like Kerala could take control of the contest. Bertomeu remained involved, testing the goalkeeper again, while Arsh Anwer Shaikh dealt calmly with Odisha’s first real attacking sequence.
But matches at this level rarely stay one-sided. Odisha grew into the game with more assured possession, and their equaliser, finished by Rahim Ali.
The second half demanded a different quality, Resilience. Odisha applied pressure in spells, forcing the Blasters deeper and drawing multiple interventions from Arsh, who was reliable when called upon. In front of him, the defensive unit held its line well, absorbing phases without losing organisation.
Going forward, the Blasters were less expansive but remained purposeful. Yoke continued to dictate transitions, ensuring that even when the game tightened, there was still a route into the final third.
As the clock moved into stoppage time, the game had the feel of a draw. the Blasters, however, continued to commit bodies forward when the opportunity arose.
From a late corner, Ebindas delivered with precision, and Hernández attacked the space decisively his header firm, well-directed, and beyond reach.
There was still time for another moment—Yoke briefly thought he had added a third—but the offside flag curtailed it. Odisha’s final effort drifted wide, and with that, the points were secured.
