Kerala Blasters vs East Bengal Highlights: KBFC 2-1 EBFC, Peprah nets winner in ISL 2024-25

Super-sub Kwame Peprah’s winner becomes the difference as Kerala Blasters beats East Bengal 2-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Kerala Blasters looks to have secured the win and is looking to run out the game with a packed defence. East Bengal, on the other hand, looks mentally defeated with coach Cuadrat shaking his head.

Sadaoui almost gets a loose ball in the penalty box, which could have been a third for the Blasters. However, Gill intercepts the ball to end the development.

Kwame Peprah gets the ball in the penalty box after a defensive error by Anwar Ali and Peprah takes a shot, leaving the EBFC defenders unmoved.

Action on the other end as East Bengal tries to switch play from the left flank but the cross falls to no one.

Aimen tries to get the ball into the final third again but East Bengal, which has white shirts in numbers around the box, clears the ball out of danger.

Rahul KP gets the ball in the midfield and tries to set up Noah with a through ball. But his pass is controlled by Gill eventually.

And that is the last action before the second cooling break. And after a couple of minutes of pep talk, the match resumes. 

Kerala Blasters catches the EBFC defence napping as it goes for a counterattack with a glaring space in the final third. Aimen gets the ball along the left flank and he whips in a right-footed curler which goes just wide.

In: Azhar, Peprah

Out: Vibin, Jimenez

The Blasters look to be making some attacking changes as the match enters the final quarter. Kwame Peprah is gearing up to come on for the home team.

East Bengal makes goes for a counterattack and Vishnu’s cross is seen off by Drincic as the KBFC captain looks pumped up, getting back in the game from 0-1 down.

After two goals in four minutes, the contest looks to have gotten fresh life, with thousands of fans waving the flashlights of their phones in the stadium.

Kerala Blasters is mounting attacks one after the other after its equaliser and this time, East Bengal clears the ball to safety. 

Sadaoui gets the ball along the left flank, sends Rakip to the cleaners with a side-step and then buries the ball into the net with a brilliant hit.

Diamantakos gets a loose ball outside the box and takes a shot. But the ball goes wide off-target with no real trouble for the Blasters.

East Bengal attacks on the counter and Diamantakos takes the ball into the box and serves the ball on a late for Vishnu, who taps it in to give the Red-and-Gold Brigade the lead. 

East Bengal tries to find a space in the left flank with a through ball to Nandha but too much force on the ball sees the ball reach Suresh.

East Bengal tries to set up Diamantakos in the box but Suresh gets on top of the contest as the contest continues to be a goalless affair so far.

Rahul KP’s searching ball from the right flank finds Noah but the latter fails to create a chance. The East Bengal defence gets into shape and the attack dissipates. 

East Bengal, which ended the first-half on a strong note, is yet to find a rhythm in the second 45. At the moment, the Red and Gold are being made to chase the ball by the home team. 

East Bengal booking: Diamantakos becomes the latest player to see a yellow for dissent. The forward made a very public protest when the referee deemed his challenge to be a foul. 

The second-half kicks-off goalless at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Despite both teams coming close to scoring, the contest remains goalless, with Jesus Jimenez’s shot off the post being the closest chance to have the deadlock broken.

Drincic and Crespo go for the ball at the same time and the KBFC players fouls Crespo with an open boot. The referee gives a foul and later, shows him a yellow card.

As Cuadrat keeps shouting instructions at his boys, there will be plenty of questions asked at half-time. Meanwhile, Zothanpuia delivers a cross from the left, which Diamantakos misses and Talal makes a mess of judging the ball as Suresh grabs it.

This was East Bengal’s best chance so far!

Mahesh gets the ball along the left flank as East Bengal goes on a counterattack. Mahesh crosses the ball to the centre and Naocha makes a key interception to deny Nandha, who was waiting at the far post, a header

Sandeep floats in a cross from the right and Rahul KP misses a crucial chace to head the ball into the net. There was pace and direction. All it needed was a header on target.

Mahesh pushed Vibin in the midfield and the referee books the East Bengal player.

Sadaoui gets the ball in the KBFC half and tries to make a run along the left flank. Jeakson marks him and chases him till the Moroccan loses the ball. 

East Bengal gets a free-kick after Zothanpuia is fouled outside the box. The free-kick falls for Madih, who shoots on the volley but off-target.

The match resumes after the break and Mahesh tries to get the ball into the box, forcing a save. Seconds later, Crespo fights off his marker and shoots on target. However, Suresh makes another save.

Saul Crespo tries to get the ball up front but goes down after a foul off Jimenez. The two Spaniards make peace with a handshake and a quick free-kick to East Bengal. And then the match pauses for a cooling break.

East Bengal is back being pushed into a tight corner by the Blasters as Gill somehow clears the ball out of danger and the ball again falls to another KBFC player.

Kerala Blasters is now left to defend as East Bengal employs an overload in the midfield. The home side defends with finesse as the small passes by the visitors end with a back pass to Gill.

Nandha grabs the loose ball from the midfield and makes a solo run into the final third but eventually loses control with Drincic marking him clinically.

Rahul KP’s challenge on Mahesh gives East Bengal a free-kick. Madih Talal takes the free-kick, which sees Nandha try to set someone up in the box. But the development ends with Diamantakos in an off-side position.

Nandha gets a cross from the left and he tries to slot it into the net. Sachin Suresh makes a timely save but fails to grab the ball. As East Bengal players rush to get to the ball, Suresh finally grabs it to end the attack.

East Bengal is maintaining a steady mid-block while Kerala Blasters gauges attacks along the flanks, with Sadaoui and Rahul on either side.

East Bengal tries an attack, with Mahesh whipping in a ball from the left, which lacks direction and goes out of play instead of falling for Nandha on the other flank.

Kerala Blasters tries to start an attack from the midfield but Danish Farooq’s challenge on Saul Crespo from behind stops play for a foul, with East Bengal taking the free-kick quickly.

The Blasters are pushing up the pitch with EBFC failing to stich three passes together at the moment. It eventually gets the ball and tries to begin an attack with small passes from the back. 

Jimenez gets the ball in the box, shifts to his right and tries a curler, which comes off the post. Kerala Blasters could have easily gone in front here. Gill was beaten and all he could do is stare at the ball coming off the woodwork.

Kerala Blasters is dominating play at the moment, with smooth transitions from defence to attack. But this time, Rahul’s poor cross eds to nothing in the box. 

East Bengal is playing in a 4-3-3 shape while Kerala Blasters has started with a 4-4-2 shape. Meanwhile, the Blasters try an attack from the right but Rahul’s cross is played out for a corner by EBFC. The corner, later sent in by Sadaoui, is cleared by the visiting side.

The match has been a proper end-to-end affair so far, with Talal trying an early chance and Jimenez prowling around the East Bengal box.

East Bengal gets another corner kick, which is cleared and Sadaoui carries the ball to the other end. He loses the ball eventually.

The match starts on an aggressive note, with Vibin conceding a foul. Madih takes the free-kick, which is ultimately cleared.

Diamantakos gets the ball rolling in this exciting contest as East Bengal starts from left to right. Kerala Blasters, on the other hand, starts from right to left.

The players walk out of the tunnel, queue up for the National Anthem of India and then take positions for the match. 

Two players in East Bengal’s starting line-up have previously been celebrated figures for Kerala Blasters, Dimitrios Diamantakos and Jeakson Singh. After their transfers this summer, it will be interesting to see how they fare on their return in a different jersey in their former home.

Anwar Ali was previously banned by the Player Status Committee of the All India Football Federation - an order which was later quashed by the Delhi High Court. He was eventually given a No Objection Certificate to play for the Red-and-Gold Brigade.

Full story below: 

Anwar Ali officially free to play for East Bengal FC after getting NOC

Anwar Ali has been given an NOC by the All India Football Federation’s Player Status Committee (PSC) on Thursday.

After a weak show in its Indian Super League 2024-25 season-opener against Punjab FC, Kerala Blasters will be desperate to get its first points of the season when it takes on East Bengal FC at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.

But once again, Blasters will be without its midfield general Adrian Luna who is yet to recover fully from his illness.

Without Luna, Blasters looked a disjointed side in its 1-2 loss against Punjab.

“We came out pretty poor, it was a hard loss in the dying seconds, hard to handle but we have to move forward,” said the Blasters’ head coach Mikael Stahre on Saturday.

Read the full preview below: 

ISL 2024-25: Kerala Blasters looks for first points of the season as it hosts East Bengal

After a weak show in itsISL 2024-25 season-opener against Punjab FC, Kerala Blasters will be desperate to get back to winning ways when it takes on East Bengal FC at the Nehru Stadium.