Odisha FC inflicted a second loss of the 2022-23 ISL season for Kerala Blasters FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday (October 23).
An evenly contested first half saw the Tuskers take the lead through Harmanjot Khabra's superb back-post header from Adrian Luna's cross. The Juggernauts came out of the break with much more energy and pinned the Kerala Blasters to their own half.
Odisha eventually got back into the game through Jerry Mawihmingthanga's tap-in after Prabhsukhan Gill saved Carlos Delgado's strike. They eventually secured the win in the 86th minute thanks to a stunning effort.
Amrinder Singh's long ball was brought down superbly by Pedro Martin, who then struck a fierce volley from the edge of the area to make it 2-1. The hosts held on to the advantage to make it two wins from two games.
Here are the player ratings for both teams:
Odisha FC
Amrinder Singh - 7/10
Amrinder Singh couldn't have done much about the Kerala Blasters goal. He made a couple of decent saves before getting the game-winning assist with a punt forward.
Sahil Panwar - 6.5/10
Panwar's corners caused problems in the area and he also put in a decent shift defensively, recording two tackles, two interceptions and two clearances.
Carlos Delgado - 7/10
Delgado's saved shot led to Odisha's equalizer and he was a major target for the team from set-pieces. He commanded his backline extremely well, winning six of his eight duels and making two tackles, three interceptions and five clearances.
Osama Malik - 6/10
Malik lost Khabra for the Kerala Blasters goal but was decent otherwise. He needs to improve his passing out from the back as he often went for the safer option or a long clearance.
Shubham Sarangi - 6.5/10
Sarangi made some meaningful runs forward and contributed six long balls. He also tracked back brilliantly, recording three clearances, two interceptions and two tackles.
Isaac Vanmalsawma - 6.5/10
Vanmalsawma was the base of many of Odisha's forays forward, registering two key passes. However, his influence faded away a little in the second half.
Saul Crespo - 6.5/10
Crespo kept things ticking in the middle of the park for the hosts with some neat passes but his creativity was largely limited by Kerala Blasters.
Thoiba Singh Moirangthem - 6/10
Moirangthem was useful in midfield and also got a shot on target, but couldn't impact proceedings as much as he would've wanted.
Jerry Mawihmingthanga - 7/10
Mawihmingthanga got Odisha's equalizer by being in the right place at the right time to jab home from right in front of goal. He was a constant presence in the box, but missed a decent chance with a diving header and slipped after being put through by Martin.
Diego Mauricio - 6.5/10
Mauricio had a couple of good chances to score, but was foiled by Gill in the Kerala Blasters goal. He also managed a key pass before being taken off in the second half.
Nandhakumar Sekar - 5.5/10
Sekar struggled to impact proceedings from the right flank and simply couldn't link up with his fellow forwards or trouble the Kerala Blasters' defense.
Substitutes
Raynier Fernandes - 6/10
Fernandes replaced Vanmalsawma as part of a triple substitution in the 65th minute. He added some composure to Odisha's midfield and also put a good chance just wide of the post.
Isak Ralte - 6.5/10
Ralte came on for Sekar with 25 minutes to go. He created two fantastic chances for Mawihmingthanga and Fernandes, but both players headed wide of the post.
Pedro Martin - 8/10
Martin replaced Mauricio midway through the second half. He put Mawihmingthanga through on goal with a neat pass, but the winger slipped at the wrong moment, and his link-up play in general was superb.
The Spaniard eventually got his time in the limelight with a stunning goal in the 86th minute after exquisitely controlling Amrinder Singh's punt forward. Martin's half volley was unstoppable and the celebration was certainly up there with the quirkiest we've seen in the ISL as well.
Paul Ramfangzauva - 6/10
Ramfangzauva came on for Moirangthem in the 80th minute. He added another body in defense to help his team deal with Kerala Blasters throwing men forward in the final minutes.
Denechandra Meitei - N/A
Meitei replaced Mawihmingthanga in the 88th minute and didn't get many touches on the ball.
Kerala Blasters FC
Prabhsukhan Gill - 6/10
Gill's handling could've been better for the first goal while he also made a few poor decisions in both halves which luckily went unpunished.
Jessel Carneiro - 6/10
Carneiro dealt fairly well with Odisha's attack in the first half and contributed five clearances. However, his forays forward were largely unproductive.
Ruivah Hormipam - 6/10
Hormipam was beaten with ease by Mauricio in one of the first major attacks of the game, but recovered well to put in a solid display. However, his passing out from the back could've been a little better.
Marko Leskovic - 6/10
Leskovic unfortunately deflected the ball right into Mawihmingthanga's path for Odisha's equalizer. His passing was decent and he came up with a game-high six clearances.
Harmanjot Khabra - 7/10
Khabra scored the Kerala Blasters' only goal of the game with a thumping header, while also sending a few superb balls forward. However, he failed to track Martin's run for the game-winner and was slow to react on a couple of occasions.
Adrian Luna - 7.5/10
Luna delivered a vicious cross for Khabra's goal and was his side's biggest threat going forward. He recorded a game-high three key passes, won a foul and completed two dribbles in a quality display.
Ivan Kalyuzhnyi - 6/10
Kalyuzhnyi couldn't extend his scoring streak but still posed a threat going forward for the Kerala Blasters.
Lalthathanga Khawlhring - 6.5/10
Khawlhring protected his defense well in the first half and was tidy with his passing. Odisha seemed to overwhelm him a little in the early stages of the second half but recovered to finish his night well.
Jeakson Singh - 6/10
Khawlhring's defensive coverage helped Jeakson Singh move forward with a little more freedom. However, he struggled to add a little more flair to his passes in the final third, which the Kerala Blasters could have done with.
Sahal Abdul Samad - 6/10
Abdul Samad couldn't really impact the game, completing just six passes during his 60 minutes on the pitch.
Dimitris Diamantakos - 6/10
Diamantakos made a few good runs and got a couple of shots on target, but didn't trouble Odisha's defense or goalkeeper enough. The Kerala Blasters need to get more balls into his feet in dangerous areas to allow him to have an impact on games.
Substitutes
Rahul KP - 6/10
Rahul replaced Abdul Samad on the hour mark. He didn't get on the ball much but contributed defensively and won a couple of fouls with his acceleration.
Victor Mongil - 6/10
Mongil came on for Kalyuzhnyi in the 64th minute. He was largely solid but completely lost Martin for Odisha's winner.
Nihal Sudheesh - 5/10
Sudheesh replaced Hormipam in the 64th minute. He completed none of his three pass attempts during his time on the pitch.
Nishu Kumar - 6/10
Nishu Kumar came on for Khabra with less than three minutes of regulation time left. His throws into the box caused a few problems for Odisha, but couldn't do much else.
Saurav Mandal - N/A
Mandal replaced Khawlhring towards the end of the game and hardly got any touches on the ball.