ISL: Kaloor fort breached again; Bengaluru FC defeat Kerala Blasters 3-1

In-form Bengaluru FC claimed their fifth win of the Indian Super League (ISL) 11 with a clinical 3-1 victory against Kerala Blasters FC at Kochi on Friday.

In a heated contest, the Blues conceded their first goal of the campaign but managed to steal all three points.  Returning to their hom turf sans their star man Noah Sadoui, Kerala Blasters FC played attacking football but failed to convert their chances, which ultimately cost them the game. BFC, on the other hand, held their nerves and capitalised upon the openings to beat the opposition backline thrice.

Argentine striker Jorge Pereyra Diaz, a former KBFC star, handed the visitors the lead in the eighth minute. As the home side tried to build attacks gradually from the back, Diaz charged up ahead with sheer pace to pressurise Pritam Kotal into losing the possession. He successfully lobbed the ball over young goalkeeper Som Kumar to get his team ahead in the game.

Bengaluru FC's joy was short-lived though as defender Rahul Bheke's foul on Kwame Peprah inside the penalty box at the brink of the half-time whistle handed Kerala Blasters FC a reprieve. Jesus Jimenez was flawless from the spot, firing the ball into the top left corner to equalise the scores.

The visitors had their trump card in Edgar Mendez unleashed full throttle in the second essay of the play.

Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera has been critical for Bengaluru FC in earning fouls from goal-scoring positions this season. One such instance led to a melee inside the box in the 74th minute.

However, Mendez, placed right at the centre of the 18-yard area, was at the correct place at the correct time to simply slot the ball past a disoriented defence into the bottom right corner to regain the lead.

Bengaluru FC resorted to protecting their lead in the final 20 minutes, but they weren't hesitant to hit Kerala Blasters FC on the counter either.

In the fourth minute of the added time of the second half, Bengaluru FC broke into a quick offensive move and it culminated with Mohamed Salah trusting Mendez with an outside-of-the-box effort to bag Bengaluru FC's third goal of the night.