Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters: Blues secure semi-final berth with a stalemate | Hero Super Cup 2023

Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the EMS Stadium on Sunday, April 16. Following Sreenidi Deccan FC’s defeat to RoundGlass Punjab FC, Simon Grayson’s men qualified for the semi-finals of the Hero Super Cup 2023.

Both sides attacked with intent in the opening stages in front of a packed stadium in Kozhikode. The Blues shifted to a 4-3-3 formation, with Udanta Singh and Naorem Roshan Singh looking threatening on the flanks.

The first chance fell Bengaluru FC’s way from a set-piece situation. Javi Hernandez’s powerful effort from 30 yards out deflected off the wall and was close to finding the top corner of the net.

Bengaluru committed players forward, and as a result, they were exposed in wide areas. Saurav Mandal’s pace posed problems for BFC’s defense and he teed up Rahul KP in the 10th minute. But the winger was slow to react and failed to connect with the ball inside the six-yard box.

Simon Grayson’s men had a few openings and utilized the space afforded in the middle of the park by Kerala Blasters. A moment of individual brilliance by Javi Hernandez in the 23rd minute gave BFC the lead.

Hernandez's delicate flick was a thing of beauty as he evaded the entire midfield before setting up Roy Krishna, whose initial effort was saved by Sachin Suresh. The rebound, however, fell kindly to the Fijian as he slotted the ball home at the second time of asking.

The Blues continued to carve open Kerala Blasters’ backline and around the half-hour mark, Victor Mongil produced a heroic block. Sunil Chhetri’s cut-back found Krishna, whose thunderous shot would have hit the back of the net if Mongil hadn’t thrown his body in front of it.

While the Tuskers had their moments, the first half was dominated by Bengaluru FC as they took a deserved lead into the break.

Kerala Blasters level the proceedings, but Bengaluru FC top Group A

Kerala Blasters upped the ante in the second half and began penetrating Benagluru’s backline. Within five minutes of the second half, Dimitrios Diamantakos’ stinging close-range free-kick was parried away by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, while Giannou’s tame effort was also saved by BFC’s custodian.

The Blasters had a prolonged spell where they dominated proceedings, but struggled to find a past a resilient Bengaluru defense and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

While Kerala Blasters pushed for an equalizer, the Blues were dangerous on the break, utilizing Udanta Singh’s pace. He had a couple of opportunities to get on the scoresheet but fluffed his chances.

However, after a period of sustained pressure, the Blasters were rewarded for their efforts with twelve minutes of regulation time left. Diamantakos was in the right place at the right time to head the ball into the back of the net to set up a grandstand finale.

The substitutions certainly paid dividends for the Yellow army, who were taking the game to Bengaluru FC. Despite their efforts to find the winner towards the end of the second half, the Blues held on to a point.

With the draw, Bengaluru FC topped the group following Sreenidi Deccan FC’s defeat to RoundGlass Punjab FC and will face Jamshedpur FC in the semi-finals. Kerala Blasters, meanwhile, finished third in the group, level on points with Sreenidi Deccan FC.