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Kerala Blasters FC were rolled over by a clinical Sreenidi Deccan FC side as the home team suffered a 2-0 defeat in their second group-stage match of the Hero Super Cup on Wednesday, April 12.
Cheered on by their supporters at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, the Blasters started the match as the clear favorites. However, within 17 minutes, the ISL outfit conceded a goal after Rilwan Hassan cut inside and beat his marker before letting loose a low shot to give Sreenidi the lead.
The Blasters looked uninspired in the attacking third in the absence of their talisman, Adrian Luna. Just before the half-time whistle, the Hyderabad-based side further pulled on Kerala's misery as David Castaneda made it 2-0 with an audacious volley.
After the break, the Yellow Army tried their best to string together a response but Sreenidi were resolute in their defensive shape and secured the three points.
On that note, let's look at the player ratings for Kerala Blasters FC players after their defeat against Sreenidi Deccan FC.
Sachin Suresh (GK) [6.0]
Sachin Suresh could very little be blamed for the two goals Kerala conceded and otherwise made a few important stops.
Ayush Adhikari [5.5]
Rilwan Hassan completely overwhelmed the young midfielder before scoring the opening goal of the match. Ayush Adhikari was booked minutes later and seemed to be chasing the game throughout.
Hormipam Ruivah [6.5]
Hormipam Ruivah was the only bright prospect in an otherwise forgettable defensive showing from the Blasters. He made some sturdy challenges and also had a vicious crack at the opposition goal in the second half.
Marco Leskovic [5.5]
Leskovic was one of the most underwhelming performers in the Kerala Blasters defense. He was outfoxed by David Castaneda on multiple occasions, especially in the build-up to the second goal. He couldn't track the run of the Colombian forward, who then went on to score with an acrobatic volley.
Nishu Kumar [6.0]
The full-back put in a few inviting crosses and also made some runs into the box but received very little support from his teammates.
Jeakson Singh [6.0]
Jeakson couldn't break up the opposition's play as quickly as he would've wanted to, especially in the first half.
Ivan Kaliuzhnyi [6.0]
In the absence of Adrian Luna, the Ukrainian international was tasked with becoming the creative force in the middle of the park. However, he looked shabby playing the midfield two. In the second half, he had a few opportunities to score but failed to find the back of the net.
Rahul KP [6.0]
Whenever Kerala found the ball, they tried to play it down the wide channel and Rahul KP was trusted with the responsibility of carrying out that task on the right flank. However, he lacked the cutting edge to provide the final ball.
Bryce Miranda [6.0]
Quite like Rahul KP, Bryce Miranda also looked uninspiring down the flanks as he overcooked his crosses on multiple occasions.
Dimitrios Diamantakos [6.0]
Despite his continuous efforts to get into the threatening areas and attacking the ball in the opposition half, Dimitrios Diamantakos was marshaled expertly by Arijit Bagui and Bijay Chhetri.
In the dying moments, the Greek forward was also booked by the referee for a clumsy foul.
Bidyashagar Singh [5.5]
He was anonymous throughout his stay on the pitch, often losing possession in the final third. He was replaced by Giannou in the second half.
SUBSTITUTES
Sahal Abdul Samad [5.5]
After coming off the bench to humongous cheers, local boy Sahal Abdul Samad made a huge impact in the attacking third. He was closed down well by the SDFC defenders.
Victor Mongil [6.5]
Victor Mongil was among the few substitutes who made an impact after coming on for the Blasters. He tried to control the tempo of the game well, and most importantly, went very close to scoring.
Apostolos Giannou [6.0]
He couldn't produce the kind of impact coach Ishfaq Ahmed would've expected of him.
Danish Farooq Bhat [6.0]
He came on too late to make any significant impact but put in a few crunching tackles.
