Hyderabad: Kerala Blasters outplayed Hyderabad FC 3-1 in their final league match of ISL 2023-24 here on Friday night and set up a clash with Odisha FC in the playoffs.
Blasters finished in fifth spot with 33 points from 24 games. Odisha, who have a game in hand, are in fourth place with 39 points. The play-off tie will be played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The winners of the single-league knockout tie will qualify for the double-legged semifinals.
Blasters had not tasted win in any of their five previous matches. They had in fact drawn once and lost four matches, as a host of injury issues came together to derail the solid campaign that they endured in the first half of the season.
That strong head-start, however, ensured that the Ivan Vukomanovic-coached team became the fifth team to qualify for the playoffs.
Hormipan Ruivah and Saurav Mandal injected immense excitement in the Blasters ranks with their interlinking on the right flank. On one such occasion, the duo engaged in a quick exchange of passes before Mandal lobbed the ball in for Mohammed Aimen in the far post, who headed the ball into the back of the net, demonstrating tremendous aerial prowess in the 34th minute.
Mandal is perhaps providing Vukomanovic answers to his goal-scoring questions ahead of the playoffs. Six minutes into the second half, Mandal stormed into the box from the right, catching the Hyderabad defence off-guard. He launched in a low cross for Daisuke Sakai, who tapped the ball in to double the lead for the visitors.
The goal-scoring frenzy continued in the final 10-odd minutes of the match also. Aimen turned the provider again in the 81st minute, laying up a fairly straightforward delivery for Nihal Sudeesh on the right side of the box, who slotted the ball right into the centre of the net, in what was a showcase of the domestic talent and promise brimming through the Blasters ranks.
Joao Victor’s strike in the 88th minute was a result of some timely ingenuity by Alex Saji, who laid the ball in the path of the former through his head to pull back a goal, which was too little, too late for the team. Former champions Hyderabad finished bottom in the 12-team league with just eight points and a solitary win to their credit.
(With inputs from ISL Media)
