KOCHI, Oct 7: Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Kaliuzhnyi struck twice after Adrian Lima opened the account as Kerala Blasters started their Indian Super League 2022-23 campaign in style, crushing a lacklustre East Bengal 3-1 in an exciting opener, here on Friday.
The opening goal was scored in the 72nd minute after a barren first half.
Luna latched onto an inch-perfect long ball from Harmanjot Singh Khabra, which found him inside the opposition penalty box. Luna slotted it home and dedicated his goal to his daughter.
Ivan doubled the lead in the 82nd minute with a stunning effort when he picked up the ball on the left side and from around the middle of the park, he made a darting run inside the box.
Ivan shrugged off a couple of challenges and slipped past the East Bengal defenders with ease. He then moved to the right side and just placed the ball into the right bottom corner.
However against the run of play, Alex Lima’s scorching left-footed pile driver from a loose ball off a flag-kick helped East Bengal pull one back in the 87th minute.
But in the 89th minute, Ivan’s bullet punch from nearly 25 yards beat the East bengal goalkeeper hands down and sealed the issue for the home team in-front of a vociferous crowd.
Bengaluru FC vs NEUFC
Bengaluru FC Head Coach Simon Grayson on Friday said his side are eager to get back out onto the pitch at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, where they take on NorthEast United FC in their opening match of the 2022-23 Indian Super League on Saturday.
The Blues, having won the Durand Cup, return to their Fortress after a gap of over two years, and Grayson said that his players and staff were as excited as anyone else, for the atmosphere that is set to welcome them.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be back. I’ve been walking around the stadium the last few days and around Bangalore, and bumping into supporters who are excited for the start of the season. Supporters in general have been like caged animals the last few years.
“Now they’re going to be released into the stands to create an atmosphere with a lot of enthusiasm and noise. I’m sure they can’t wait and I know that us as a staff and players are excited to experience it,” Grayson told reporters on the eve of the game.
With the Durand Cup in the trophy cabinet, Grayson added that his side were keen to keep pushing the envelope heading into what he conceded will be a tougher challenge in the Indian Super League.
After a third-place finish in the 2020-21 campaign, Saturday’s opposition NorthEast United finished tenth last year, with just three wins in the tournament.
Since then, the Highlanders have recruited heavily under new Israeli Head Coach Marco Balbul, who has signed the likes of Matt Derbyshire, Jon Gaztanaga, Michael Jakubsen and Romain Philippoteaux, Aaron Evans and Sylvester Igboun, among several other Indian players.
“I think the first few games of the season are always difficult, because you don’t know much about the other teams until then. We’re going into the unknown a little bit, but NorthEast have a new manager and some talented players. We fully respect them, but everyone starts on a level playing field, with no points.
“We’re focusing predominantly on ourselves, on our defensive structure and offensive side of things as well. Once the season is a little older, we’ll have a clear understanding of how the opposition teams will play week in and week out,” Grayson said.
Kick-off between the Blues and NorthEast United is scheduled for 7:30 pm and will be telecast live on the STAR Sports Network, Disney+Hotstar. (Agencies)
