Kerala Blasters FC beat East Bengal FC 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday in ISL 2023–24.
The Blasters’ impressive performance earned them the victory. Furthermore, similar to how the Blasters have performed consistently throughout the season, their charismatic commander Adrian Luna led the group to a decisive road victory prior to the international break.
Constantly tempting the East Bengal defense, the Uruguayan international identified openings that could have assisted him in generating a chance from nowhere. In the 32nd minute, Luna identified a disoriented opposition defense and skillfully passed the ball to comrade Daisuke Sakai, creating one such opportunity.
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The 26-year-old raced into the box without delay, deceived Mohamad Rakip with deft footwork, and gave his team the lead with a shot past Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. Sakai qualified as the fourth Japanese player in ISL history to record a goal, following Rei Tachikawa, Cy Goddard, and Katsumi Yusa.
While Luna has been the driving force behind Kerala’s attack, young goalkeeper Sachin Suresh has emerged as an unexpected asset in the defense. His distribution has been praiseworthy thus far, with six appearances yielding a 57% passing success rate. However, it was his shot-stopping prowess that turned eyebrows tonight—he saved a penalty for the second consecutive game.
Sachin dived to his right and blocked Cleiton Silva’s 85th-minute equalizer in joy.
. With this save, Sachin became the first custodian in ISL history to successfully save penalties in consecutive matches.
Blasters Performance:
Sandeep Singh’s pass to Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 88th minute turned East Bengal’s rage into a goal. However, shortly thereafter, the Greek forward received his second yellow card, which resulted in his dismissal in the 89th minute. A one-man advantage gave the host club a ninth-minute added-time penalty, which Silva converted. Unfortunately, the remaining minutes failed to score an equalizer.
Performer of the Match’s Key
Suresh Sachin (Kerala Blasters FC)
Eighth-youngest in ISL history, the 22-year-old made a spot-kick save. His proficiency in converting crucial opportunities has assisted the Blasters in securing crucial points in two consecutive contests. This gifted custodian is certain to deliver even more remarkable displays of skill in the remaining matches of this campaign.
The future awaits both organizations:
On November 25, both teams will now compete in a double header in the league. Kerala Blasters FC will host Hyderabad FC, while East Bengal FC will play Chennaiyin FC at home.
Concise Scores:
1–2 (Daisuke Sakai 32′, Dimitrios Diamantakos 88′) (Cleiton Silva 99′) Kerala Blasters FC FC East Bengal
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