ISL: Roy Krishna nets winner in Bengaluru FC victory over Kerala Blasters

An
electric
atmosphere
engulfed
the
venue
with
several
away
fans
in
attendance
fueling
a
high-octane
encounter
between
two
strong
sides.
Opportunities
came
at
both
ends
in
the
initial
stages
of
the
first
half.

Dimitrios
Diamantakos
failed
to
hit
the
target
from
a
promising
Sahal
Samad
cross
at
one
end,
while
Sandesh
Jhinghan
rattled
the
crossbar
from
a
Javi
Hernandez
free-kick
at
the
other.

ISL
2022-23:
Clinical
Odisha
FC
move
back
to
6th,
Hyderabad
FC’s
League
Shield
aspirations
take
a
massive
hit

The
Blasters
kept
more
of
the
ball,
but
the
Blues
fired
more
shots
at
goal
and
eventually
drew
first
blood
just
after
the
half-hour
mark.
Hernandez
was
the
provider
as
he
slid
a
clever
ball
through
to
Krishna
down
the
right
flank.

Under
pressure
from
Ruivah
Hormipam,
the
Fijian
outmuscled
the
defender
and
made
his
way
into
the
box
before
slotting
it
past
Prabhsukhan
Gill
at
the
near-post
from
a
tight
angle.

Five
minutes
from
the
break,
Hernandez
had
an
opportunity
to
get
his
name
on
the
scoresheet
when
he
dodged
the
offside
trap
and
brought
a
long
ball
down
deftly
right
in
front
of
goal.
However,
Gill
pounced
on
the
ball
before
the
Spaniard
could
adjust
his
footing
and
get
a
shot
away.

Kerala
Blasters
started
the
second
half
on
the
front
foot.
Adrian
Luna’s
cross
from
the
right
flank
was
just
behind
Diamantakos
and
was
cleared
to
safety.
Cheeky
flicks
were
on
display
from
Luna
as
the
Blasters
pushed
forward
repeatedly,
getting
thwarted
by
the
staunch
Bengaluru
FC
defence
on
almost
every
occasion.
Samad
attempted
to
find
the
far
post
on
a
couple
of
occasions,
but
both
his
efforts
went
wide.

Around
the
hour-mark,
Bengaluru
FC
applied
pressure
on
the
Blasters.
Roshan
Naorem
cut
in
from
the
left
flank
and
tried
to
catch
Gill
on
the
wrong
foot
with
a
shot
at
the
near
post.
However,
the
Blasters’ shot-stopper
was
quick
to
palm
it
out
for
a
corner.

The
Blasters
huffed
and
puffed
in
the
final
few
minutes
of
the
game
but
could
not
do
anything
to
correct
their
record
at
the
Sree
Kanteerava
Stadium
in
the
Hero
ISL.

Having
set
up
their
longest
winning
streak
in
ISL
history,
Bengaluru
FC
will
play
the
newly
crowned
league
winners
Mumbai
City
FC
next
on
February
15
to
try
and
solidify
their
playoff
chances.
Meanwhile,
Kerala
Blasters
are
yet
to
confirm
their
playoff
qualification
this
season
and
will
have
a
chance
to
do
that
in
their
next
game
against
ATK
Mohun
Bagan
on
February
18.