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Kerala Blasters defeated Roundglass Punjab FC 3-1 in their opening game of the Hero Super Cup 2023 at EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala on Saturday, (April 8).
Kerala Blasters were placed in group A of the Super Cup along with ISL finalists Bengaluru FC and the top two of I-League - Roundglass Punjab FC and Sreenidi Deccan FC.
Rounglass Punjab FC came into the Super Cup having won the I-League title and having a very successful season.
Kerala Blasters came into the Super Cup having made it to the playoffs in the ISL and were in search of their maiden title.
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The match started with the Tuskers making some good moves and trying to score an early goal. The boys representing the Land of Five Rivers tried hard to score the first goal but were not successful in doing so.
Valpuia brought down Sourvan Mandal inside the box in the 40th minute to give Kerala Blasters a penalty. Diamantakos scored from the penalty spot in the 41st minute to give the Tuskers the lead in the game. The scoreboard at halftime read 1-0 in favor of the ISL side.
The second half started with Roundglass Punjab trying different moves to score the equalizer.
Sourav Mandal played the ball into the box in the 54th minute, which the Punjab defense failed to deal with. The ball fell to Sahal Abdul Samad who left it for an onrushing Nishu Kumar.
Nishu made no mistake in slotting the ball into the back of the net to give Kerala Blasters a two-goal lead in the 54th minute.
Roundglass Punjab FC scored in the 73rd minute. Juan Mera put in a cross into the box and Krishnananda made full use of the ball to slot it into the back of the net.
The game was evenly poised for a good ending as both sides tried hard to score a goal.
Rahul KP made use of a loose pass in the 95th minute and made no mistake in slotting the ball past the keeper to make it 3-1 in favor of the Tuskers. This proved to be the final score.
On that note, let us take a look at three things we learned from Saturday's game.
#3 Kerala Blasters shine without Ivan Vukomanovic
Kerala Blasters had a sad end to the Indian Super League after their coach Ivan Vukomanovic recalled the side in extra time of the first playoffs. The act of leaving the game halfway warranted a 10-match ban for the Tuskers gaffer and this was the first game that they were without him.
Assistant coach Frank Dauwen was put in charge of the squad for the Super Cup along with Ishfaq Ahmed as his assistant.
Kerala Blasters were without Adrian Luna, their star player, but didn't make his absence felt today.
The entire squad showcased a good performance and managed to beat the I-League champions comprehensively. With this victory, the Tuskers made their Super Cup intentions very clear.
#2 Roundglass Punjab FC missed a trick by playing Juan Mera on the left
The I-League champions started Juan Mera on the left in the beginning. The move proved costly as the Spanish midfield maestro failed to impact the game much. Luka, the striker, also failed to create many openings and was poor for the side.
Roundglass Punjab switched Juan Mera to the right in the second half and he had a good period. He provided the assist for Roundglass Punjab's only goal.
Had Luka played a more pivotal role in the game, Roundglass Punjab could have put up a better fight. Juan Mera, though, will have surely grabbed some eyeballs from some ISL sides with his stellar performance.
#1 Kerala Blasters make good use of home conditions
Kerala Blasters had a huge advantage playing in home conditions for the Super Cup. Playing in home conditions helped the Tuskers settle into the game better and make use of their surroundings.
Roundglass Punjab made some silly mistakes and unforced errors which helped the Tuskers.
They opened the scoring due to a penalty which came their way due to a series of unforced errors by Roundglass Punjab FC.
If Kerala Blasters manage to make good use of these conditions, then they could be serious contenders for the title.
