Clinical Kerala Blasters sink 10-men Mumbai City 3-0 at the Fatorda Stadium
Kerala Blasters finally found their rhythm as they defeated reigning champions and table-toppers Mumbai City by a 3-0 margin in the 2021-22 Indian Super League season on Sunday. This was the Yellow Army’s first win against the Islanders since January 2018 powered by Sahal Abdul Samad giving them a first-half lead while Alvaro Vazquez and Jorge Pereyra Diaz sealed the win in the second half.
The Islanders head coach Des Buckingham made the expected solitary change to his starting XI as Raynier Fernandes made way for Vikram Pratap Singh on the right flank in a bid to inject more pace and firepower in the lineup.
On the other hand, Kerala Blasters manager Ivan Vukomanovic made wholesale changes to his side which saw Jorge Pereyra Diaz getting a start and Ruivah Hormipan replacing the injured Enes Sipovic in central defense. Meanwhile, Harmanjot Singh Khabra also returned to the starting lineup after recovering from a short injury period.
Mumbai City was off the blocks very quickly and almost got an early lead when a right-footed effort from Cassinho called Kerala Blasters stand-in goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill into the action. Three minutes later, Igor Angulo had a golden opportunity from a pinpoint cross from Mandar Rao Dessai, but he failed to get a proper connection on the header.
Around the 11th minute, the tides turned in Kerala’s favor as Vazquez tried his luck from 35 yards forcing Mohammed Nawaz to make a brilliant save parrying the ball onto the post with a fingertip.
The Tuskers dominated the next phase of the game completely and it eventually paid dividends in the 27th minute when Sahal came up with a brilliant volley to beat Nawaz in goal. Normally solid as a rock, Mourtada Fall had a tough time keeping Diaz quiet and copped up a yellow card in the 36th minute which later proved to be fatal.
The second half was more of an extension of the first as Vukomanovic’s team kept on dominating creating clear-cut chances. They were well rewarded just a couple of minutes into the second period when the Spaniard registered his name into the scoresheet with a sumptuous volley.
A brilliant move from the right saw Jeakson Singh deliver an accurate ball while the combination of spatial awareness and finishing technique helped the former Espanyol striker double Kerala’s advantage.
Mourtada Fall was sent off around the 50th minute
Things went from bad to worse for the Islanders when Fall brought down Diaz around the 50-minute mark. The Senegalese central defender was rightfully booked again and handed marching orders.
Astonishingly, the referee Pranjal Banerjee indicated towards the penalty spot handing a penalty to the team in the lead while replays showed the incident taking place outside the box. Diaz made no mistake in slotting the ball in the bottom-right corner past Nawaz from the penalty spot.
The Islanders hardly had any spark left after going down to 10-men in this game but an odd chance came to Bipin Singh. The left-winger made a daunting run down the left and intercepted a through ball from Cassinho going through on goal but blasted his shot into the hauntingly empty stands from 8 yards of distance from the goal.
Buckingham played his cards by bringing on the likes of Ygor Catatu and Raynier Fernandes but none of those tricks worked for the English tactician on Sunday. Despite this shocking defeat, they remain at the summit of the 2021/22 ISL standings and will now take on NorthEast United next Monday after the Christmas break.
On the other hand, Kerala Blasters has climbed up to fifth place pipping Odisha in the league standings on the basis of goal difference. Vukomanovic’s men will look to continue their rampant form when they lock horns against Chennaiyin on Wednesday.