Kerala Blasters enter top four with a 3-1 win against Mumbai City
Kerala Blasters significantly boosted their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals by defeating defending champions Mumbai City 3-1 in ‘Match 62’ of the 2021-22 Indian Super League season. An Alvaro Vazquez brace and a Sahal Abdul Samad strike comprised the three goals scored by the Tuskers whilst Diego Mauricio scored the Islanders’ consolation goal.
Kerala Blasters head coach Ivan Vukomanovic made two changes to the team that won 3-0 against Chennaiyin. Sandeep Singh replaced the suspended Harmanjot Khabra in defense whereas Vincy Barretto made way for Samad on the right flank.
On the other hand, Mumbai City head coach Des Buckingham made only one change to his starting XI that won 2-0 against Goa. Mandar Rao Dessai replaced Vignesh Dakshinamurthy in the left-back position.
The Tuskers started the game on the front foot and had their first major opening in the 15th minute when Jorge Pereyra Diaz made a darting run down the left flank. He floated in a cross for Sandeep, but the defender had his shot saved by Mohamad Nawaz in the Islanders’ goal.
However, Vukomanovic’s men did not have to wait for long as Samad broke the deadlock in the 19th minute with a fantastic strike. After receiving a ball quite a distance away from the goal, he bamboozled Apuia Ralte with his trickery and then pulled the trigger with exemplary precision, as his shot went through the gap between Mourtada Fall and Mehtab Singh to find the back of the net.
Buckingham’s team tried to up the ante after conceding the goal and while they were successful in dominating ball possession in that particular phase, nothing significant came out of it. Instead, it was the Tuskers who scored again, this time from a penalty.
Vazquez sprinted down the left flank just seconds before half-time and in an attempt to avert the danger, Fall ended up tackling the Spaniard inside the box. The former Swansea City striker took the setpiece responsibility on his shoulders and made no mistake to make it 2-0 in Kerala Blasters’ favor.
The second half started exactly like the first, with the Tuskers dominating the initial exchanges. Adrian Luna went for glory after receiving a pass from Diaz on the left flank in the 49th minute, but his venomous effort kissed the crossbar and went out.
For the second time on the night, Kerala did not have to lament over the missed opportunity as they increased their lead only eleven minutes later, thanks to a howler from Nawaz. The Islanders’ young custodian tried to clear a backpass from Fall but ended up miscuing his shot as it fell kindly for Vazquez, who only needed to tuck it into a gaping goal.
Diego Mauricio’s goal was nothing more than a consolation for Mumbai City
Mumbai City got a lifeline in the 69th minute in the form of a penalty, but unlike the first call, this decision was slightly controversial from referee Rahul Kumar Gupta. Mauricio claimed he was brought down inside the box by Ruivah Hormipam, but replays showed that the contact was not significant. Like Vazquez did earlier on in the game, Mauricio sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make the scoreline 3-1.
However, it was nothing more than a consolation for the defending champions as they failed to produce any further openings. In fact, the last chance of the game fell to the Tuskers when Luna curled in a fantastic shot from a freekick in the 80th minute, but his shot was pushed onto the woodwork by a diving Nawaz.
With this win, Kerala Blasters has climbed to the fourth position and will play their last league stage match against Goa on Sunday while fifth-placed Mumbai City will take on Hyderabad on Saturday.
If Mumbai City wins on Saturday, the Blasters would need just a point against the Gaurs while any other result other than a win for the Islanders would mean that Kerala has automatically qualified for the ISL semi-finals for the first time since 2016.