ISL 2019-20: Kerala Blasters returns to winning ways with 5-1 thumping

Kerala Blasters came from a goal down to register a 5-1 home win against Hyderabad FC and end its nine-match winless run.

Bartholomew Ogbeche's equaliser led Kerala Blasters' revival after going a goal down.

Being bottom of the table comes with a lot of pain and humiliation.

On Sunday, the Kerala Blasters boys probably felt that they were in danger of falling to that dreaded place when they took on Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League at the Nehru Stadium here.

And led by captain Bartholomew Ogbeche, who scored twice, the home boys came away with a stunning 5-1 victory that not only helped them climb two rungs, from ninth to seventh in the 10-team league, but also brought their confidence back.

It was only the Blasters' second victory in this edition and it ended more than a 75-day wait – the first had come in the season-opener. It was a day when the home boys produced a dominating display that played havoc with the Hyderabad defence and silenced the opponent.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Though Hyderabad produced the opening goal in the 14th minute with a neat job with Brazilian striker Deyvison da Silva 'Bobo' tapping in a smart pass from captain Marcelo Pereira, the Blasters came back strongly with a three-goal strike in a 12-minute spell shortly after the half-hour mark.

First, Ogbeche latched on to a long ball from Dutch defender Gianni Zuiverloon, who missed the last few matches with an injury, raced through the middle, foxed the goalkeeper Laxmikanth Kattimani by moving to the left and finished the job neatly for the equaliser. Ashish Rai and Adil Khan, who were in hot pursuit, could only watch in horror.

Macedonian Vlatko Drabarov gave the Blasters the lead six minutes later with a shot from the right that rose, hit the crossbar and then went in. The home side made it 3-1 six minutes later with a nice combination play that outwitted the defence. Ogbeche, from the middle, sent a short pass to Halicharan Narzary on the left and his cross was quickly tapped in Messi Bouli.

The Blasters added two more in the second half, through a strong Seityasen Singh shot and a few minutes later with Ogbeche scoring his second.

Towards the end, Zuiverloon stopped a certain goal from Deyvison. It was certainly a day when everything fell into place for Blasters, a display that ensured that Hyderabad stayed in the last place.