Perhaps one of the most important matches of week 16 of the ISL took place on the 25th of February between the disheartened Kerala Blasters and the unlucky FC Goa. Kerala Blasters looked off-colour for their last few matches and were looking perilous without their charismatic captain Adrian Luna. Goa, on the other hand, attacked mercilessly and were always ahead of their opposition in terms of shots made, but just couldn’t secure wins in their recent matches. But the 4-2 loss they suffered yesterday didn’t have anything to do with luck. And our football fans were treated to a delicious southern derby.
Both teams were hungry to bounce back and get to winning ways again, and this topsy-turvy match was a representation of this mindset, the result being a goal frenzy in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. Goa started off the proceedings quickly, netting not one but two goals within the first 20 minutes of play. If the highly spirited Kerala fans weren’t silenced by the first goal by Rowlin, they were by the well-crafted second goal. The defence was in disarray and Kerala looked like they would go further down their spiral of losses. The second half ended on a 2-0 score line, and a 2-goal lead usually meant a cushion and teams went on to win the match with relative ease. But if one thing was common with both Kerala fans and their team, it was to not give up.
Maybe Ivan Vukomanović inspired them, the miracle worker he is, or the support of their home crowd did. Regardless, the performance they pulled off in the second half was nothing short of brilliant. What started with a beautiful free kick was Kerala Blasters claiming the second half as theirs, after Goa dominated proceedings in the first. Goa just couldn’t get those run-ins like they do so, so often, and what we instead saw was Kerala giving them a taste of their own medicine, building pressure and regularly making opportunities. The backline of Goa couldn’t take it, and 3 of their 4 defenders along with both their midfielders copped yellow cards. And after they conceded a penalty and the lethal Diamantakos commanded the ball in to level the scores, the atmosphere was electric. The fans couldn’t contain their excitement, and the Goa team looked inflated.
Kerala was now eyeing that win, and they were as determined as ever to get it. The opportunity wasn’t far away, and after a keeper fumble, Diamantakos nestled the ball into the net to finally take a well-deserved lead. After the 88th-minute goal to completely seal the deal, it had finally set in. Kerala Blasters had risen from the dead in terms of not just the match, but out of their win drought, and in what style they did.
Image Credits – @@BlastersZone on X
