Excitement was at its very pure form as Mumbai City FC hosted against Kerala Blasters FC in the Mumbai Football Arena, which can also be considered as one of the most thrilling and dramatic matches in the 11th edition of Indian Super League. Mumbai City FC defeated Kerala Blasters FC 4-2.
Building Up from the very first touch of the match is more like a common thing now in the league, as Kerala Blasters FC kicked off the game with an impactful attack that concluded just near the post Phurba Lachenpa was guarding. The first 15 minutes were very fierce as both sides had tight competition for that crucial initial blow.
Amidst the chants rising from the home gallery against the visitors, we saw the KBFC defense falling apart, which was caused by a clinical pass from Lallianzuala Chhangte from the right flank, which also led to Kerala Blasters FC extending their clean sheet-less run from the previous season.
Nikos Karelis didn’t miss this time, as he went on with the pass from Chhangte and scored a tap-in, which helped Mumbai lead in the game and also rose from 10th to 7th in the points table. Bipin Singh getting too comfortable in the opponent’s half was very disappointing to watch as the KBFC defense struggled against the well-disciplined Mumbai front line.
There was much more action in the first half, but nothing was that important as The Islanders continued in their comfortable 1-goal lead on their home turf against the Blasters. Overall, the pace of the match slowed as Mumbai tried a controlled approach after that initial blow.
The second half was the elevating point of this match, which initially gave off the same “usual day in the office” vibes. Kwame Peprah’s handball inside the box gave away a penalty and Nikos Karelis comfortably bagged his brace of the night, making it 2-0 in the Mumbai Football Arena. The drama continues as the same Kwame Peprah achieved an important penalty for KBFC.
Spanish marksman Jesus Jimenez puts it in the back of the net, easily making it 2-1, which ignited the usual KBFC comeback that we have already witnessed earlier in the league. The game was successfully elevated to its prime as Kerala Blasters, too, began impacting the game.
Finally, in the 71st minute, Adrian Luna provided a ball into the middle of the box where the same Kwame Peprah appeared again as the savior of KBFC as his header successfully surpassed Lachenpa, making it 2-2, all square.
An unusual twist occurs the very next minute as Peprah gets sent off after his yellow card for removing the jersey as he celebrated, he was already running on a yellow card and this is where the downfall of KBFC began in this match. The drama continued as Phurba was replaced in the 78th minute by T.P Rehenesh in the net.
The 10-man Kerala Blasters FC, which initially seemed in a position to control the game without much pressure, sank deep into pressure as youngster Nathan Rodrigues scored his first, caused by a misunderstanding in the KBFC defense after a quick corner from Mumbai City FC, making it 3-2.
A challenge from Vibin Mohanan inside the box in the 90th minute cost Kerala Blasters FC the all-important 3 points as Lallianzuala Chhangte converted the penalty without fault and rose up to 6th in the table. meanwhile, Kerala Blasters FC dropped down to 9th.
Kerala Blasters FC desperately tried for a possible comeback, but Mumbai City FC succeeded in sealing off all the weak spots on the field, preventing every opportunity. Noah Sadaoui’s absence was a major setback for KBFC in this match, as a player like him would have been very beneficial. Kerala’s custodian, Som Kumar, also seems shaky and inexperienced and has conceded many in recent matches.
Kerala Blasters FC is set to play against Hyderabad FC on November 7th in Kochi, and up next for Mumbai City FC is against Chennaiyin FC, which is set to be played on November 9th in Chennai.
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