Kerala Blasters turn a page with second win and first clean sheet of ISL season

Have Kerala Blasters actually turned a page? If anything, a second win in three matches and a first clean sheet of the season can indicate nothing else. The Blasters defeated Jamshedpur FC 2-0 to climb to 11th place with 8 points from 10 rounds.

Until the end of March, the Blasters were involved in a relegation battle. But since the appointment of Ashley Westwood in an interim role, replacing David Catala, the Blasters have won two and drawn once in four rounds.

To make matters interesting, Malayalis scored both goals: Nihal Sudheesh in the 12th minute and Vibin Mohanan in the 36th minute.

Both goals came from headers. Karim Benarif played a delightful cross from the left, which was nodded home by the diminutive Nihal. Benarif was substituted out with an injury, and was replaced by Vibin, who got himself onto the scoresheet with a free header after being found unmarked in the box by Franchu. Benarif hit the woodwork for the Blasters, while Parthib Gogoi missed a glorious chance for the visitors.

Stephen Eze received a straight red card in the 84th minute, reducing the visitors to 10 men. But the Blasters were in control of proceedings even before a cynical foul from the Nigerian defender. The Blasters next play Odisha FC in Kochi on April 23.

The Blasters defeated Bengaluru FC 2-1 in Bengaluru and if not for a late equaliser from NorthEast United last week, this win would have been a hat-trick.

Meanwhile, the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi remained almost deserted with the fans continuing their boycott in protest of alleged mismanagement by those running the club. The Manjappada and the Blasters Army are among the popular fan groups that are boycotting the club’s home matches.