NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) failed to break the Kochi jinx as Kerala Blasters celebrated its first win in the Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday.
C.K. Vineeth once again turned out to be the hero for Kerala Blasters as his flying header in the 24th minute turned out to the match-winner.
However, the big moment of the match came in the 42nd minute when NEUFC goalkeeper Rehenesh was shown a straight red for bringing down Sifneos just outside the box.
NEUFC never recovered from the setback. Blasters used the numerical advantage to good effect by dominating possession in the second half.
In the second half, Jackichand Singh was unfortunate when his right-footed effort ricocheted off the near post. Though NEUFC tried to regroup, Blasters defence held firm.
The closest NEUFC came to equalising was in the 87th-minute when a corner kick was flicked on by Cezario towards the goal but none of the NEUFC players was there to slot the ball in.
Kerala Blasters coach Rene Meulensteen made three changes to the squad after the mauling at the hands of FC Goa.
Wes Brown, one of the high profile signings, made his first appearance. Vineeth came back from suspension and Siam Hanghal replaced Loken Meitei in the midfield.
But the changes didn’t seem to work in the first half for the Kerala side. Blasters gave away the ball too easily in midfield. Pekuson was the only player who tried hard but found little support from his team-mates.
On the other hand, NEUFC enjoyed more possession in midfield and moved the ball through the left flank.
The first goal for Kerala Blasters came against the run of play in the 24th minute. Captain Sandesh Jinghan sent a long ball to the overlapping Rino Anto who arrowed in a cross.
The opportunistic C.K.Vineeth rushed in and connected the ball with a flying header to send the crowd into raptures.