IMAGE: Action from the Kerala Blasters vs Mohammedan SC match in Kolkata on Sunday. Photograph: Indian Super League
Kerala Blasters FC secured a memorable 2-1 victory over Mohammedan SC in the Indian Super League in Kolkata on Sunday.
Two second-half strikes from Kwame Peprah and Jesus Jimenez saw Mikael Stahre’s men secure their third consecutive victory in Kolkata.
Mirjalol Kasimov handed Mohammedan SC the lead, but the visitors showed resilience in the second half to produce a come-from-behind victory.
The visitors were off the blocks quickly, as Noah Sadaoui found the right tune from the start. The Moroccan posed all sorts of trouble for the Mohammedan SC backline, especially after combining with Adrian Luna, who was pulling the strings from midfield.
However, the hosts weathered the early storm brilliantly and gradually imposed themselves on the match’s tempo.
In the 20th minute, Mohammedan’s pillar in defence, Joseph Adjei had to be substituted out after suffering an injury. Andrey Chernyshov turned to French defender Florent Ogier to replace the Ghanaian.
The next 10 minutes saw the hosts dominate possession and also create a few chances. Their persistent nature in attack was rewarded when Kerala Blasters FC’s debutant custodian, Som Kumar brought down Franca in the penalty area in the 27th minute, handing a penalty to Mohammedan SC.
IMAGE: Kwame Peprah celebrates after scoring for Kerala Blasters. Photograph: Indian Super League
Mirajlol Kasimov stepped up and converted from the spot to hand a crucial lead to the hosts.
Mikael Stahre’s men didn’t bog down after conceding the goal, in fact they were more spurred on to equalise. In the 34th minute, they almost managed to do so as Jesus Jimenez wriggled his way past multiple Mohammedan SC defenders before pulling the trigger. But the Spaniard’s long-range effort was denied by the crossbar.
The second period saw both teams trying to take control of the possession in midfield. But the game swayed in the favour of the Blasters by Kwame Peprah’s introduction in the 64th minute. Within three minutes, the forward came up with the equaliser, latching onto a cross from Noah.
Peprah was quick to react to the cross, leaving his marker, Zodingliana Ralte in complete awe before tucking it past Padam Chettri in goal.
Blasters eventually secured the lead in the 75th minute when Naocha Singh found Jimenez in the penalty area with a beautifully weighted cross from the left flank. The Spaniard rose the highest, beating Ogier in the air and eventually heading it past Chettri.
