KOCHI: The streak finally broke but not in a good way. Kerala Blasters’ four consecutive draws ended with a heartbreaking defeat to Bengaluru FC. Blasters went into the game determined to taste victory after four draws on the trot. However, two scrappy goals helped their opponents take all three points. It was an evenly fought game and the difference in philosophy of the two teams was on display.
Blasters used the long ball strategy while Bengaluru FC stuck to their principle of possession-based football. The clash of the two styles turned it into a beautiful contest.However, the linesman seemed to have dozed off as he made an awful decision that gave Bengaluru the lead.
BFC skipper Sunil Chhetri would have known himself that he was in an off-side position when he raced against Sandesh Jhinghan to get to a ball from Miku. Chhetri admitted after the match that he was expecting the linesman to raise the flag.Bengaluru FC have been touted as the best team in the league but they looked shaky. Blasters seemed to have channelised all their frustration of bad refereeing decisions into their game.
They switched to street-fighting mode. Any craftiness from BFC was met with relentless pressing. It was the perfect answer as Kerala roared back. Sahal Abdul Samad won a penalty that was smashed in by Slavisa Stojanovic. The game was evenly poised at the break. There was a delayed start to the second half because of a power outage. Instead of 15 minutes, the half-time break became 25 minutes.
Once play resumed, the game began to stretch. Chhetri tried a curler that was inches wide. Blasters frontman CK Vineeth almost put one past BFC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh.However, there was heartbreak for Blasters. They were putting in a display that showed the intent of a team who wanted to taste victory.
But Bengaluru substitute Francisco Marcos Hernandez made the most telling impact on the result. The Spaniard forced an unforced error that earned them victory. The substitute drew a save from Naveen Kumar, which ricocheted off Nikola Krcmarevic and bounced into the net.For a team that boasts of the likes of Miku, Chhetri and Dimas Delgado, they needed a scrappy goal to win and move to the top of the table. martinj@newindianexpress.com