Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: The Blues extend their winning run with clinical victory over the Yellow Army in ISL 2022-23
Bengaluru FC, extending their winning run to six matches, scripted a 1-0 victory over Kerala Blasters FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday, February 11. Roy Krishna got on the scoresheet in the first half and his goal ended up securing three points for the Blues.
In the build-up to the game, the Blasters opted for an unchanged starting lineup from their win against Chennaiyin FC. Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson was forced to bring on Bruno Ramires in place of Suresh Wangjam, who was serving a suspension.
It was a frantic start from both sides in the opening minutes, with the emotions from the stands spilling onto the pitch itself. However, Kerala Blasters had a couple of early chances through delicious crosses from Jessel Carneiro. The best of the lot came in the 16th minute when the veteran full-back drilled in a curling ball to find Dimitrios Diamantakos. But the Blasters forward managed to squander the golden opportunity.
As the minutes rolled by, the Blues grew into the game and the visitors seemingly lost direction. Their first opportunity of the game came in the 26th minute when Sandesh Jhingan's header hit the crossbar and Krishna's effort off the rebound was blocked by a sea of Kerala Blasters bodies.
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Six minutes later, the Blues built on their momentum and ultimately broke the deadlock. Javier Hernandez put Krishna through down the right flank. The Fijian forward floored an ill-prepared Ruivah Hormipam to get through on goal. Despite the acute angle, the former ATK Mohun Bagan talisman managed to somehow squeeze the ball through the first post past Prabhsukhan Singh Gill and give the hosts the lead.
The Yellow Army couldn't string together a significant response before the break and Ivan Vukomanovic had a lot of wrongs to right in the second half.
Kerala Blasters FC wasteful in attack as Bengaluru FC expertly defend a slender lead
Even after the resumption, Bengaluru FC continued to build on their momentum from the first half and looked like the better side. Despite their domination, they couldn't double their lead. As the minutes rolled by, Kerala Blasters tried to creep back into the game but lacked decisiveness in the final third.
Dimitris Diamantakos was a shadow of his usual self as the Greek forward failed to even register a single effort on target.
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#WeAreBFC #NothingLikeIt #BFCKBFC โ๏ธ https://t.co/CDY3AXiIBk
Meanwhile, once the game entered the final quarter, it turned into a feisty affair as tempers started to flare. A couple of players from both teams got into the referee's books. Frustration tried to creep into the minds of the Blasters players and Vukomanovic. The visitors brought on plenty of fresh legs to alter the scoreline but the Blues managed to come away with a 1-0 victory.
The three points put Bengaluru FC fifth in the standings with 28 points. Meanwhile, a poor run of form away from home is turning into a major headache for Adrian Luna and Co., who are currently in third spot.