ISL 2018-19: Luck assists Bengaluru FC in 2-1 win over Kerala Blasters FC

The win sends Bengaluru FC to the top of the table with 13 points from five games while Kerala are in the sixth spot with seven points from five games

10:20 PM

9:48 PM

Full-time

9:48 PM

Minute 90+5 -- Poplatnik's free-kick takes a deflection and flies out of play

9:47 PM

Minute 90+4 -- Vineeth is brought down in the Bengaluru box and a free-kick is given. Last roll of dice for Kerala?

9:45 PM

Minute 90+2 -- A good chance for Miku who receives the ball near the right goalpost. He tries to pull it back but is promptly dispossesed

9:42 PM

Minute 90 -- Five minutes of injury time

9:41 PM

Minute 89 (SUBSTITUTION FOR KERALA) -- Stojanovic makes way for Poplatnik

9:37 PM

Minute 84 (SUBSTITUTION FOR BENGALURU) -- Khabra out, Rino in

9:34 PM

Minute 80 (OWN-GOAL!!) -- Bengaluru score again, albit with a bit of luck. Miku, inside the box, cuts it back for onrushing Xisco whose shot is parried away by the goalkeeper but the ball rikochets to Krcmarevic who unwittingly puts the ball inside his own net

9:31 PM

Minute 78 (YELLOW CARDS) -- Vineeth and Serran are shown the cards for a little scuffle they got involved in

9:31 PM

Minute 77 -- What a miss for Kerala! Prasanth slides a great pass that sets Vineeth free with Narzari by his side and the goalkeeper at his mercy. Vineeth though ignores Narzari and takes the shot himself and sends his effort across the face of the goal and ouut beyond the far post

9:27 PM

Minute 74 -- Xisco gets at the end of the pass inside the Kerala box and pulls it back into the box where Miku is waiting but Pekuson does well to cut it off at the near post

9:25 PM

Minute 73 (SUBSTITUTION FOR BENGALURU) -- Juanan out, Xisco in

9:24 PM

Minute 72 -- Stankovic curls a cross from the right to the far post where Vineeth completely misses in trying to head it

9:20 PM

Minute 68 (SUBSTITUTION FOR KERALA) -- Doungel out, Narzary in

9:19 PM

Minute 66 -- Chhetri shoots from distance but a stretched save from the goalkeeper means Bengaluru can only have a corner

9:19 PM

Minute 66 (SUBSTITUTION FOR KERALA) -- Samad out, Pekuson in

9:19 PM

Minute 65 -- Bengaluru rob possession from the Kerala backline and run towards the box. Dimas puts in a cross which is kicked out by Pesic.

9:15 PM

Minute 63 -- Jhingan, who has received a knock, is escorted out by the medical team

9:14 PM

Minute 63 -- (SUBSTITUTION FOR BENGALURU) -- Kean Lewis on for Udanta Singh

9:12 PM

Minute 60 -- Bengaluru again! A fantastic ball by Dimas carves open the Kerala defence while Chhetri makes the run to get at the end of the pass. He does receive the ball near the byline on the left but his heavy first-touch pokes the ball out for a goal-kick

9:09 PM

Minute 56 -- What a chance for Bengaluru! Sandhu hoofs the ball all the way to the Kerala box from where Miku spots and pulls the ball back for Udanta whose strike is saved by a diving Naveen Kumar

9:04 PM

Minute 52 -- Bengaluru knocking the ball around while Kerala look to absorb the pressure in their own half. Chhetri loops a ball in front of the Kerala box for Miku whose acrobatic volleyed effort on the turn takes a deflection and goes out for a corner

9:01 PM

Minute 49 (YELLOW CACRD) -- Kerala's Lalruatthara is shown the card

9:00 PM

Minute 48 -- Bengaluru get a free-kick in the Kerala half but it's cleared

8:57 PM

Atfer a slight delay, second half begins

8:53 PM

8:38 PM

Power failure at the stadium has delayed the start of the second half

8:32 PM

8:27 PM

Half-time report: Kerala Blasters FC and Bengaluru FC both scored one goal apiece in the first half at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. Both goals came from questionable decisions.

 

Bengaluru FC drew the first blood in the 17th minute after Kerala dominated the first 10 minutes. Sunil Chhetri was released with an incisive pass by Miku, although the Bengaluru FC captain was arguably offside. Chhetri made the run and got behind Jhingan, darting towards the goal to finally slide the ball into the back of the net.

 

If Kerala had any complaints with the offside goal, they should have disappeared after the 30th minute when Kerala got a penalty in the 29th minute. Samad wriggled his way inside the box where he was clipped by Nishu Kumar from behind. The referee immediately pointed to the spot.

 

Stojanovic, despite missing his last two penalties, stepped up to take the shot and absolutley blasted it with the ball hitting the underside of the bar and into the back of the net to make it 1-1.

 

The game swung in favour of both teams in phases. Kerala started it brightly but Bengaluru grew into the game. The scoreline at half-time was thus a fine indicator of how the first half went. The score also makes the coming second half an intriguing affair.