Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur FC highlights, KBFC 1-0 JFC, ISL 2023-24: Luna on the mark again as Blasters wins second match on the trot

Adrian Luna’s goal earns the Kerala Blasters a 1-0 win against Jamshedpur FC.

That is two wins in two for #KBFC, while #JFC is yet to win a match in the 2023-24 season.

JFC had a last chance to earn a point from a freekick. Manzorro whipped the ball inside the box but Sachin does well to punch the ball to safety.

KBFC booking: Dohling sees a late yellow card.

Naorem sends the ball inside the box, which is initially cleared by Kotal. The ball falls to Manzorro, who pulls the trigger from distance but sees his effort miss the target by a huge margin.

KBFC sub: IN- Nihal OUT- Aimen

Seven minutes added at the end of the second-half!

Kerala Blasters leading in terms of possession as well with 56% of the ball compared to Jamshedpur FC’s 44%.

Aimen crosses with the outside of his boot to find Daisuke, who had made run to get in a good position, but Rehenesh anticipates the danger and gets in the way to collect the ball. It is all Kerala right now. One more goal and the match, in all probability, would be done and dusted.

Luna does well to find Diamantakos, who gets his shot away from close distance but Rehenesh makes himself big to make the save and keep Jamshedpur FC in the match.

JFC sub: IN- Sanan OUT- Pronay

JFC booking: Pronay Halder sees a yellow card for his challenge on Daisuke

Tachikawa cuts inside and dispatches a venomous shot at goal. But Sachin Suresh is up to the mark and makes a fantastic diving save. That earns him a huge applause from Kerala Blasters faithful and his teammates as well.

KBFC sub: IN- Feddy OUT- Jeakson

Manzorro whips in a cross inside the Blasters box from a freekick but Pritam does well to get a solid header to clear the ball.

Jeakson with a strong challenge on Naorem and the referee blows his whistle for a foul. It is a freekick in a dangerous area.

It was an excellent attacking move by the Blasters. Daisuke gets the ball on the right flank. He sends the ball to Luna, who combines with Diamantakos for a wonderful one-two. Diamantakos’ opens the JFC defence with his flick and Luna sends the ball to the far-corner with a first-time finish.

Aimen with an excellent chance to score the opener - he gets the ball and makes a darting run towards goal. He gets inside the box and with the goal gaping, he tries to chip Rehenesh, and see his effort go out of play for a goalkick. One would feel a shot across the face of the goal would have been a better option.

Prabir Das had a good opportunity to find a teammate from a freekick but his delivery is disappointing as he sends the ball out of play. It seems like Prabir tried to find Diamantakos at the far-post but the JFC defence kept its shape.

Vibin does well to turn away from Pronay, who was marking him. He then tries to find Diamantakos with a dink but sends the ball out of play with his overhit pass.

Booking: Ricky sees a yellow card his late challenge on Luna. He is lucky not to see red because it was not only a late challenge, but also a two-footed one.

The two KBFC substitutes try to combine as Vibin tries to find Diamnatakos with a lob from the middle of the park. The ball is overhit and ends up Rehenesh.

Diamantakos gets a rousing welcome as he makes his way across the pitch. He must be hungry to make his mark after sitting on the sidelines.

KBFC subs: IN- Diamantakos, Vibin OUT- Peprah, Danish

Manzorro finds Chima with an excellent dink, which opens the KBFC defence. Chima brings down the ball but cannot keep it under control as Sachin comes off his line bravely and collects the ball. That is good goalkeeping from the KBFC keeper.

Booking: Jeakson is shown a yellow card for his challenge on Naorem from behind

Kerala Blasters started an attack, with Peprah making a run down the left flank. He goes for an early ball, with an attempt to find Luna, but the cross is wayward to say the least.

Benny puts in a searching cross inside the box from the right. Chima was the intended target but the ball does not reach him.

Jamshedpur FC has carried its stellar defensive performance from its season opener against East Bengal. Cooper’s men have snuffed out everything the Blasters have thrown at them today.

Chima comes takes a shot from inside the box. Sandwiched between two KBFC players, he pulls the trigger but it is a weak effort and not on target.

Manzorro registers his first shot on target by pulling the target from outside the box, but the shot is straight at Sachin, who collects the ball with ease. It was a good passage of play from the Men of Steel.

Luna swings in a good cross inside the JFC box from a corner. Rehenesh tried to collect the ball but could not. The loose ball is cleared acrobatically by Manzorro.

Good movement by Peprah on the right as he tries to find Luna with a cutback but Pronay does well to cut out the ball.

Stevanovic starts the second-half positively with a shot at goal but it does not trouble Sachin as the ball sails above the crossbar.

JFC subs: IN- Benny, Naorem OUT- Barla, Doungel

Scores are level at 0-0 as the second-half between Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC is underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

It is goalless between Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC at the break.

Aimen’s cross takes a deflection and falls to Danish, who rushes his shot and misses the distance by a fair margin.

Chima and Pritam goes for the ball and the latter catches the JFC forward with a high boot. That is a painful one and Chima goes to the ground, with the medical team immediately reaching the scene.

Pritam is lucky not to have received a card for that challenge. It was a reckless challenge.

Kerala Blasters launches a counter-attack. Jeakson carries the ball, with Peprah is support. Jeakson decides to go shoot himself and pulls the trigger from distance, but his shot is blocked and the attacking momentum that the Blasters had, comes to an end.

Five minutes added at the end of the first-half!

We are close to half-time and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is yet to see a goal tonight. The Blasters certainly cannot complain about home support. The atmosphere is fantastic.

Prabir Das sends one his trademark crosses inside the box from the right. Aimen came rushing in to get a touch but could not and the ball falls to Luna. The Kerala Blasters captain has a look and whips the ball inside the area, and is inches away from hitting the target. Tough to understand whether Luna went for a goal or a cross

Booking: Doungel sees a yellow card for stopping Luna from taking a quick freekick.

Luna spots Daisuke’s run and tries to split the JFC defence with a long ball towards the Japanese. The pass is overhit and Rehenesh collects comfortably.

Chima’s cross inside the Blasters box is overhit and the ball reaches Barla, who looks to create something. He goes toe-to-toe with Aimen and tries to get past the latter, but the Blaster player stays strong and snatches the ball to end the JFC attack.

There is a lull in the tempo of the match right now as both teams seem intent on winning the midfield battle. There is hardly any penetrative play by either team.

Pritam takes too much time in clearing his lines, which allows Manzorro to steal the ball from the former. Manzorro spots Len, making a run to his right and tries to spread the ball to him, but an excellent block prevents Len from getting the ball.

Danish tries to thread a pass to Peprah, who had made the run. But, the pass is not accurate and also has a lot of weight on it and Peprah could not reach the ball.

Manzorro puts in an excellent first-time pass inside the box, but the Blasters defence is compact enough to deal with the danger and the ball ultimately goes to Sachin.

JFC sub: IN- Ricky OUT- Imran

It seems like Imran Khan has suffered an injury related to his hamstring and he cannot continue anymore. He is stretchered off the pitch. That is disappointing from Jamshedpur’s perspective because Imran has been of its better players.

A positive move by Jamshedpur FC as a long ball is played towards Chima near the Kerala Blasters area. Nothing comes of it as Sachin does well to venture out and collect the ball confidently.

Pritam spots Luna’s run and tries to find him with an aerial through ball, but the pass had too much weight, which allows Rehenesh to collect the ball before Luna could reach it.

Elsinho is already a busy man in the heart of the Jamshedpur defence as the away teams soaks the early attacking pressure from the Blasters. The first 15 minutes will be crucial for the Men of Steel.

An awkward bounce proves troublesome for the Jamshedpur defence. Peprah chases the ball and looked like he would get to it, but Rehenesh anticipates the danger and comes off his line to collect.

The Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur FC ISL 2023-24 group-stage match is underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Kerala Blasters assistant coach Frank Dauwen - “Even tomorrow, when it rains, it’s not going to be a problem. Normally, before the game, we need water for the pitch so I think it’s no problem.”

“The Blasters began their season with a 2-1 victory over Bengaluru and though Jamshedpur managed only a goalless draw against East Bengal, Blasters’ Adrian Luna feels it could be a difficult match.”

“They are going to play five in the back or in the middle so it’s going to be a difficult block to break but we are going to do it and we are going to win,” said Luna. “But we have to work really hard.”

Jamshedpur FC head coach Scott Cooper - “When you play against any team that’s got fan support like the Blasters have, you have to match the work rate as an opponent...and play with your eyes wide open.”

“The rain does affect the game. And it probably is a disadvantage to the home team. It’s a leveller.”

Matches: 14

Kerala Blasters wins: 4

Draws: 7

Jamshedpur FC wins: 3

Playing in a stadium packed to the brim, with the major section of the crowd rooting for the home team could be a challenging task for visiting sides.

And Jamshedpur FC will feel that heat when it travels to Kochi to face Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.

Though JFC’s head coach Scott Cooper spoke with a bit of envy about the great support KBFC enjoys at home, he also felt that the heavy rain here could be a great leveller.

“When you play against any team that’s got fan support like the Blasters have, you have to match the work rate as an opponent...and play with your eyes wide open,” said Cooper.

“The rain does affect the game. And it probably is a disadvantage to the home team. It’s a leveller.”

Read full preview ​HERE​

​

ISL 2023-24: Kerala Blasters looks to continue winning form against Jamshedpur FC

The Blasters beat Bengaluru FC 2-1 in its first game and though JFC managed only a goalless draw against East Bengal, KBFC’s Adrian Luna feels it could be a difficult match.

Kick-off, telecast and live-streaming info

When and where is the Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur FC ISL 2023-24 match kicking-off?

The match will kick-off at 8:00 PM IST on Sunday, October 1, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Where can you watch the Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur FC ISL 2023-24 match?

The match will be telecast on the Sports18 1 Channel (TV).

The game can also be live-streamed on the JioCinema app and website (online).

The game will be livestreamed on OneFootball for those watching from outside India.