It was worth the wait! Kerala Blasters played some spectacular football against Emami East Bengal FC on Friday as the Indian Super League (ISL) returned to the home-and-away format after two seasons played inside a bio-bubble. Their fans, who had waited more than two years for this day, would definitely have left the stadium extremely pleased.
East Bengal had no answers to the aggressive brand of football played by Blasters. Although the Yellow Brigade created many chances, luck eluded them in the first half. It was in the second half that Blasters showed their true colours.
Initially, Blasters struggled to find rhythm and space, but it is not easy for any team to make a flying start in the first game of a season. Nevertheless, this is a four-month-long league, not a 100-metre dash!
Talking about individual performances, Adrian Luna started from where he left off last season. The new recruit Ivan Kalyuzhnyi also stamped his class. The two late goals scored by him were absolute gems. What a great start to a new season!
(The writer is a former captain of the Indian football team)
