KOCHI: Spurred on by a strong, screaming crowd, Kerala Blasters saw off a lacklustre East Bengal 3-1 to kick-start their title chase in the inaugural match of the 9th Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on Friday. Ukrainian central midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, who came on as a substitute in the 79th minute, netted twice on his debut, in the 82nd and 89th minutes. Blasters broke the deadlock in the 72nd through Adian Luna. Harmanjot Singh Khabra picked out the Uruguyan midfielder with a long ball inside the box and the latter slotted home. East Bengal pulled one back through Alex de Lima (88th), but it was too little, too late.
“We wanted exactly this, we expected such a win,” said Neeraj J Antony, a fan from Kochi. The supporters, who came from different parts of the state, looked forward to a fine start and they couldn’t have asked for more. A draw wouldn’t have satisfied us,” said Neeraj.
“Blasters have got a perfect start and they will sustain the momentum,” said Alex and Edwin, two ardent fans of Manjappada. “After Iain Hume, the goalscorer for Blasters in the early editions of ISL, Adrian Luna is our hero. His leadership and astute skills helped Kerala Blasters take control of the game. Cheers for Luna from the stand was proof of his popularity in Kerala,” Alwin said.
Blasters coach Ivan Vukomanovic said: “It was a fantastic reception from the Kerala fans, I appreciate that. Of course, the first ISL game in Kochi after two years of not having fans is massive. And you could see the atmosphere, I mean, it’s just unbelievable. I don’t think we realise what we have here in India with football. I really don’t. And once we figured out how to get the best out of it, India should be qualifying for Asian Cups every two-three years, and the World Cup in the future, but we need to do a lot of things together.”
East Bengal coach Stephen Constantine said: “I want to congratulate Ivan and his team. They won the game fair and square.” Earlier, former national team captains, I M Vijayan and Jo Paul Anchery, were presented with this season’s Golden Ticket and Jersey!