Kerala Blasters came back from a goal down to beat Mohammedan SC 2-1 in the Indian Super League 2024-25 match at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday.
Mohammedan took the lead in the 28th minute after Mirjalol Kasimov converted from the spot after Franca was brought down inside the box by KBFC goalkeeper Som Kumar, who made his first start from the club in place of injured Sachin Suresh.
Two second-half strikes from Kwame Peprah and Jesus Jimenez saw Mikael Stahre’s men secure its third consecutive victory in Kolkata, a feat they had never achieved in the competition.
MSC made a bright start to the match and pressed Tuskers with intensity. 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.
Mikael Stahre’s team displayed resilience after going behind, immediately intensifying it’s efforts to level the score. In the 34th minute, it nearly succeeded as Jesus Jimenez skillfully evaded Mohammedan SC defenders and unleashed a powerful shot. Unfortunately, the Spaniard’s ambitious attempt hit the woodwork.
The second half saw both teams trying to take control of the midfield. But the game swayed in the favour of the Blasters by Kwame Peprah’s introduction in the 64th minute. Within three minutes, the Ghanaian forward came up with the equaliser, latching onto a cross from Noah Sadaoui.
Riding on the positive momentum of scoring an equalizer, the Blasters enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and also created a flurry of chances. They 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.
The Blasters, buoyed by the equaliser, dominated possession and created numerous scoring opportunities. It’s persistence paid off in the 75th minute when Naocha Singh delivered a precise first-time cross from the left flank to Jimenez, who outjumped Ogier and headed the ball past Chettri to give the Blasters the lead.
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Mohammedan SC’s best chance of coming back into the game fell to Lalremsanga Fanai in the stoppage time when he combined with Cesar Manzoki. The former was through on goal but his eventual effort was brilliantly kept out by Som Kumar, who also became the fourth youngest goalkeeper to start a game in ISL. His last-ditch save was enough to see the Kerala Blasters FC home as they clinched their second win of the season.
Lalremsanga Fanai had a golden opportunity to bring Mohammedan SC back into the match during stoppage time. Combining with Cesar Manzoki, Fanai found himself one-on-one with Som Kumar, the youngest goalkeeper to start an ISL game this season. However, Kumar’s incredible save thwarted Fanai’s attempt, securing a crucial victory for Kerala Blasters FC.
The match also was paused temporarily for a few minutes due to crowd violence. The passionate home crowd got increasingly frustrated after the team conceded the second goal. The tipping point was a penalty decision that the referee did not give in the last minutes of regulation time.
A bottle was thrown on the pitch, second later. Moreover, there were also allegations of stones, wooden logs being thrown on the pitch. The referee stopped play as the players walked back to their technical area and stayed there for some time as players and fan groups requested the crowd to calm down. The restarted after over five minutes.
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