Kerala Blasters FC began their 2023 Super Cup campaign with an impressive 3-1 triumph over I-League Champions RoundGlass Punjab FC at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Saturday.
The Blasters knocked on the opposition’s door again and again with the number of chances they created in the opening half. But they only found the net once, with Dimitrios Diamantakos converting from the penalty spot to give them a deserved half-time lead before Nishu Kumar made it 2-0 in the 54th minute. The opposition pulled one back in the 72nd minute through substitute Krishnananda Singh but it was not enough as the super-sub Rahul KP put the game into bed in stoppage time to seal three points for the Yellow Army. It had been a lively start to the game that set the tone for the whole match. The Kochi-based side got involved in a lot of attacking moves on their part. In the 34th minute, Saurav Mandal made a daunting run through the right channel, before he laid it off for Sahal Abdul Samad, but the latter failed to hit the target in a 1-on-1 situation.
Six minutes later, Mandal tried to exploit the opponent’s defence as he was brought down inside the penalty area, and the referee pointed straight to the spot. Diamantakos made no mistake and calmly slotted it into the left bottom corner to give the Blasters the lead!
The Tuskers similarly started the second half as they extended the lead ten minutes into the second half. Danish Farooq played a pin-point diagonal pass for Samad, but the midfielder failed to control it properly before Nishu Kumar took control of the loose ball and curled it into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
In the 72nd minute, RoundGlass Punjab FC reduced the deficit in half when Juan Mera displayed impressive footwork down the right flank before taking a shot that took a deflection and fell straight to Krishnananda Singh, who found the back of the net with a thunderous volley. The side almost found the equaliser six minutes later through Mera, who took a blistering shot, but it hit the woodwork.
In the dying minutes of the game, substitute Rahul KP made a darting solo run and made it 3-1 for the Blasters with a composed finish.
Kerala Blasters FC will be back in action again on Wednesday when they take on Sreenidi Deccan FC at the EMS Stadium.