Kerala Blasters FC complete stunning comeback against Odisha FC thanks to audacious strike from Adrian Luna | ISL 2023-24

After being outplayed in the first half, Kerala Blasters FC roared back in the second half through a neat strike from Dimitrios Diamantakos and a world-class chip from Adrian Luna to register a comeback victory against Odisha FC on Friday, October 27.

With an evident undertone of theatrics, Ivan Vukomanovic finally returned to the Kerala Blasters' dugout after serving the 10-match ban following the walkout against Bengaluru FC in the ISL playoff last season.

The banners and tifo at the Kaloor stadium reeked of the return of "Ivanism'; however, amidst all the euphoria, Kerala had a gargantuan task at their hands.

Still serving a suspension, Milos Drncic was absent from the Yellow Army, and Vukomanovic was forced to field an all-Indian backline. Meanwhile, Rahul KP returned to the lineup after recovering from his Asian Games 2023 assignment.

The winger had an opportunity to announce his return in style in the 11th minute when Naocha Singh's cutback fell comfortably for Rahul, but Rahul's first-touch finish was blocked by Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s last-ditch sliding tackle.

For a moment, it became evident that the hosts had all the impetus in their stride. But the Juggernauts silenced the roaring stadium with a strike against the run of play.

In the 15th minute, Cy Goddard unlocked the opposition defense with an inch-perfect pass to find Diego Mauricio. The Brazilian had Ruivah Hormipam and Pritam Kotal on him but managed to manhandle both defenders and toe-poke the ball past Sachin Suresh.

The goal spurred on Sergio Lobera's men, as they could smell blood. Soon after, Isak Ralte won a freekick in the opposition half, and Ahmed Jahouh presided over the deadball situation.

The Moroccan's curling effort was stunningly saved by Sachin, but in an attempt to make a clearance, Naocha flicked the ball with his hand inside the box.

The referee immediately awarded a penalty, and the KBFC full-back was yellow-carded. However, Diego Mauricio's spot-kick was saved by Sachin Suresh, and then the rebound by Isak Ralte was gobbled up by the custodian. He had saved Kerala Blasters' blushes, and the home fans didn't forget to laud his exploits.

The Kerala Blasters continued to share equal possession, and Odisha ended up cheaply conceding possession. Ultimately, the first half came to a chaotic end with a couple players from both teams going into the referee's books.

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Adrian Luna stuns Odisha FC as well as the Kerala Blasters FC fans with his late winner

Still trailing at home, the Kerala Blasters needed a reaction to ruffle the feathers of Odisha, who were still nurturing their slender lead. After being setup by Rahul KP in the 50th minute, Vibin Mohanan had a crack from a distance but missed by a fine margin.

Ivan Vukomanovic brought on a couple substitutes to make the most of the brief momentum. Dimitrios Diamantakos and Freddy Lallawmawma came on to replace Rahul and Vibin.

The substitutes didn't take long to make their impact felt as Diamantakos brought the Kerala Blasters on level terms with a net finish in the 65th minute itself. Odisha were left startled by the parity restored and ended up conceding their control of the game completely.

But their defensive resilience continued to keep the hosts at bay until Adrian Luna, the heart of this KBFC side, popped with an audacious strike late in the clash.

In the 83rd minute, the Uruguyan talisman latched on to a hooved ball from deep, and as he spotted Amrinder Singh sneaking out of his line, Luna dinked the ball over a backtracking keeper. The leather nestled into the net as the darling of KBFC ran towards the stands and soaked up the euphoria that filled the stadium.

Odisha lacked the ability to knit together a response and saw their hard work from the first half drip down the drain.

As the referee blew the final whistle, an ecstatic Vukomanovic and jubilant fans joined hands to celebrate a victory that takes them to second in the rankings.

The Kerala Blasters will next travel to Kolkata to face East Bengal, while Odisha are set to square off against Bengaluru FC.