Kerala Blasters March on, outshining Bengaluru in a 5-goal thriller – ISL 2022-23: Kerala Blasters notched up their fifth successive victory, achieving this feat for the very first time against their arch-rivals Bengaluru FC at the JLN Stadium, Kochi. The scoreline read 3-2 in favor of the host while Marco Leskovic, Diamantakos, and Giannou found themselves on the scoresheet.
Both sides fielded unchanged lineups and it was the visitors who drew first blood after just 14 minutes when skipper Sunil Chhetri pounced on a long ball from the defense and tried to take it away from Blasters goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill. As they came together, Chhetri fell to the ground and the referee pointed to the spot. This season, Chhetri got off the mark, sending Gill the wrong way and putting the Blues in front.
The constant pressure by the host eventually paid off, restoring parity when Sandesh Jhingan took Diamantakos out near the edge of the box with a tackle. Adrian Luna struck the upright from the resulting free kick and the ball cannoned off to the right flank. From there, Sandeep Singh whipped in an impressive cross, and Marko Leskovic kept his composure in a crowded box to level the score.
Kerala Blasters made the most of their momentum by completing a comeback just before the break. Luna played an inch-perfect low cross from the left flank into the box, where Diamantakos got ahead of Aleksandar Jovanovic and got on the scoresheet in his fifth successive game.
In the 70th minute, substitute Giannou established a two-goal cushion for the Blasters. Approaching the Bengaluru FC penalty area, Diamantakos played a through pass to Giannou before the 32-year-old striker took it away from Sandhu and squeezed it in from a tight angle with his first contribution after coming on.
The Blues were not down and out but they pulled one back in the 81st minute courtesy of Javi. Blasters defender Ruivah Hormipam’s headed clearance landed straight at the feet of Javi, who unleashed a fierce volley from the edge of the box that flashed past the keeper to half the deficit. With 8 minutes remaining into the game, the visitors couldn’t manage to put pressure on the hosts.
The win takes Kerala Blasters from sixth to fourth in the table, just a point behind ATKMB in third place. The Blasters will travel to face Chennaiyin at the Marina Arena on December 19. Bengaluru FC remains in ninth place with 7 points. The Blues will host Jamshedpur FC on December 17.
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