ISL Kerala Blasters vs Odisha FC: Late Sandeep Singh goal gives Kerala 1-0 win

It was a game of two halves for the Blasters, who didn’t find their
rhythm in the first half but bounced back in the second half, with
Sandeep Singh scoring the winning goal in the 86th minute.

The hosts made one change that saw left-back Jessel Carneiro replace
Nishu Kumar in the starting XI. The visitors made a couple of changes
as Nandhakumar Sekar returned to the left flank after serving his
suspension, while Victor Rodriguez came in to make his first start of
the season – Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Diego Mauricio dropped to the
bench.

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KBFC nearly conceded in the third minute when Ivan Kaliuzhnyi’s
headed clearance from inside the box went straight to Raynier
Fernandes on the edge of the box. The midfielder let one fly and saw
it come off the crossbar before a tightly-marked Adrian Luna fired the
rebound high.

The first half ended without goals, but it was a feisty period. Five
yellow cards were brandished before the break, with the Blasters
picking up four of them. At half-time, Odisha FC had eight attempts,
out of which three were on target, while the hosts only managed one
wayward shot from Carneiro.

The Odisha FC defence had to face a barrage of attacks from the
Blasters as the game entered its final quarter. In the 71st minute, a
pass from Carlos Delgado allowed Sahal Abdul Samad to break forward.
The winger lobbed the ball into the path of Nihal Sudeesh, but it was
inches away from the substitute who had just come on.

Seven minutes from time, Carneiro unleashed a fierce strike at the
near post after a short free kick. The ball hit the upright and
flashed across the face of goal before coming to Marko Leskovic. The
defender decided to cross rather than shoot at the empty goal and
ended up giving possession away to the Juggernauts.

Four minutes from time, the constant pressure from Kerala Blasters
paid off as they got their noses in front. Substitute Bryce Miranda
curled a cross into the box from the left flank. Amrinder Singh came
out to punch it but missed the ball as it bounced and fell to Sandeep
who headed it into an empty net.

The crucial win against a top-six rival takes Kerala Blasters two
points clear of ATK Mohun Bagan. The Blasters will host Jamshedpur FC
next on January 3, Tuesday. Odisha FC remain in sixth place, level on
points with FC Goa. They host Mumbai City FC next on January 2,
Monday.