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Kerala Blasters FC edged past Mumbai City FC with a 1-0 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season on Friday.
The Islanders, at 33 points tied with Odisha FC, needed just a point to qualify for the playoffs, but will now take their hunt for a top-six place to Bengaluru when they face the Blues on March 11.
It was a quiet first half with both teams cancelling each other out in midfield. The second half saw Kwame Peprah score a goal from a tight angle and it was enough for the the home side to secure three points. This is their first home victory this season since January 13, when they defeated Odisha FC 3-2.
It started as a pretty open game, with both teams looking to fight it out in the midfield. However, the first opportunity came to Lallianzuala Chhangte in the 10th minute when he took an audacious attempt from outside the box and rattled the post. Although he didn’t score, it was a wake-up call from the hosts.
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Despite the early scare, Kerala Blasters FC pushed forward, and they almost had the lead when Korou Singh found Ishan Pandita in the box with a pinpoint cross from the right flank. However, the forward failed to make any connection from close range. Pandita was completely unmarked but couldn’t properly position himself to slot it home. In the 17th minute, Milos Drincic had a similar opportunity, this time from a free-kick. Adrian Luna sprayed the ball wide to Aibanbha Dohling from a freekick and the defender delivered a telling cross in the box. Drincic attacked the ball but his header was straight at Phurba Lachenpa, who pulled off a great save.
Kerala Blasters FC started the second half in a hurry, and their persistence paid dividends when Peprah hammered it home from a tight angle, leaving Thaer Krouma and Lachenpa completely astounded. He handed the lead to the hosts in the 52nd minute.
In the 60th minute, Brandon Fernandes found Vikram Partap Singh in the box with an excellent free-kick. However, the latter’s header was well defended by the home team. A couple of minutes later, Peprah had another identical opportunity, this time on the left side of the goal, but this time he failed to hit the target.
The visitors almost restored parity in the 74th minute when Brandon found Chhangte in a pocket of space and the Mumbai City FC skipper pulled the trigger but eventually, it was a whisker away from the goal.
In the 77th minute, the hosts had an opportunity to extend their lead when Mohammed Aimen skipped past his marker on the left flank and had acres of space. He drove into the box and forced Lachenpa with a vicious effort. There was a chance on the rebound but Krouma cleared it away to safety.
Mumbai City FC’s best chance of the game came in stoppage time when Vikram’s goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by substitute Bikash Yumnam. With that chance, the Islanders left it too late, suffering their sixth defeat of the season.
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