Kerala Blasters played their fourth game of the ISL 2021-22 season against Odhisa FC at the Tilak Maidan in Goa today. The Yellow Tuskers won the match 2-1.
Kerala didn't have the best start to the season, having accumulated two points from three games. Meanwhile, Odisha had a perfect start to the season, winning two in two.
The match started with Kerala Blasters putting early pressure on the Odisha FC goal in search of an early goal. However, Odisha FC defended well and tried to hit Kerala Blasters on the counter. The match saw its fair share of midfield battles in the first half. Both ISL teams had their chances to score but failed to break the deadlock.
The scoreboard at halftime read 0-0
The second half started with teams again battling it out in midfield. Alvaro Vazquez broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute for Kerala Blasters. Adrian Luna's pass found Vazquez, who had just the keeper to beat. The Spanish striker made no mistake in scoring the first goal of the game.
Prasanth Karuthadathkuni scored in the 85th minute to secure victory for Kerala Blasters.
Odisha FC did find a consolation goal in injury time when youngster Nikhil Raj Kumar scored in the 90+5 minute.
It was the Kerala Blasters' first win of the season.
On that note, let us take a look at the player ratings for today's game.
Kerala Blasters
Albino Gomes (5): Albino didn't have much to do today. He had to be substituted in the second half due to an injury.
Harmanjot Singh Khabra (7): Khabra was excellent today. His workload was super, and he made some outstanding runs.
Marko Leskovic (7): Leskovic aerial presence was superb today. He marked Javi to perfection and made some effective clearances.
Enes Sipovic (7): The center back was superb today. He made sure Ariday didn't get much space.
Jessel Carneiro (6.5): Jessel took on a lot of workload today. He moved forward and then tracked back superbly.
Vincy Barreto (6): Today, the young winger supported the attack and defense. His defensive tracking was good today.
Jeakson Singh (6): Jeakson played his role as a midfield blocker properly today. He made sure Odisha's midfield didn't get too much time on the ball.
Lalthathanga Khawlhring (6.5): Putea, as he is known, had a good game in midfield. He covered for his teammates.
Sahal Abdul Samad (6): Sahal made some decent moves in midfield as he tried to wriggle his way past the Odisha defense. He was poor while tracking back.
Adrian Luna (8): Adrian Luna controlled the game for Kerala Blasters. His passes were excellent.
Alvaro Vazquez (8): The Spanish striker scored the match's first goal. He looked lively throughout the game and didn't allow the Odisha defenders to move up.
Substitutes:
Nishu Kumar (6): Nishu replaced Vincy in the second half. He made some excellent moves in the attack.
Prabhusukhan Singh Gill (5.5): Gill replaced the injured Albino Gomes in the second half. He didn't have much to do apart from making some regular saves.
Prasanth Karuthadathkuni (7.5): Prasanth replaced Sahal in the second half and he scored the winning goal for Kerala Blasters.
Jorge Pereyra Diaz (NA): Jorge came into the game late.
Chencho Gyeltshen (NA): Chencho was introduced late into the game.
The detailed ISL fixtures are available here.
Odisha FC
Kamaljit Singh (5.5): Kamaljit didn't have many saves to make. He was beaten in two instances, but there wasn't much he could have done during Kerala Blasters goals.
Hendry Antonay (5.5): Hendry didn't have the best of games. He was troubled by Sahal and Jessel on regular occasions.
Hector Rodas (5): Hector didn't have the best of games either. He faced issues tracking Alvaro Vasquez and Adrian Luna
Victor Mongli (6): Mongli was poor today. His covering and positioning weren't up to the mark.
Lalruatthara (5.5): Lalruatthara wasn't impressive today. He had a tough time dealing with Khabra and Prasanth.
Thoiba Singh (5): Thoiba tried his best to deal with Kerala Blasters midfield. He made some harsh tackles during the game.
Vinit Rai (6): Vinit wasn't very much effective today. He played some good balls, but his covering wasn't effective.
Jerry Mawihmingthanga (5.5): Jerry didn't have much to do during the game. His runs were ineffective, and his crosses were wayward.
Ariday (6): Ariday had a poor game today. He couldn't create many chances and wasted all the opportunities he got.
Isak Vanlalruatfela (5): Isak was poor today. He couldn't help out his defense correctly, and his passes weren't good today.
Javi Hernandez (5.5): Javi wasted an excellent opportunity in the first half. Javi wasted more chances during the game. He was poor during the game today.
Substitutes
Gaurav Bora (5): Gourav Bora replaced Thoiba in the second half. He failed to impact the game. He, too, made some silly fouls.
Daniel Lalhlimpuia (5): Daniel replaced Jerry in the second half. He couldn't trouble the Kerala defense.
Nikhil Raj Murugesh Kumar (7): Nikhil scored the only goal for Odisha FC. He scored on the rebound after his initial shot was saved by Gill.
Isaac Vanmalsawma (5.5): Issac came on at halftime, but the Mizo winger couldn't do much.
Liridon Krasniqi (6.5): Liridon assisted in the goal Odisha scored. Apart from the assist, Krasniqi wasn't very involved with the game.