Kerala Blasters regained winning form as it prevailed 1-0 over a struggling SC East Bengal in a return leg match of ISL-8 at Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco, on Monday. Bosnian defender Enes Sipovic found the target off a corner in the second half, the victory taking the Kerala side to the third spot (26 points in 15 matches).
The first half ended barren as the SC EB defence stood firm in the face of the relentless Blasters attacks. The latter hardly got a clear look at the goal as the Kolkata giant’s backline stuck to its task.
Though Blasters enjoyed a greater share of ball possession, they failed to deliver the goods in the strike zone.
SC EB, which started to make forays midway through the contest, had a golden opportunity in the 42nd minute when Croatian forward Antonio Perosevic sent a superb cross across Blasters’ goalmouth. However, SC EB forward Rahul Paswan failed to tap the ball into an open goal.
Blasters found the elusive goal almost immediately after the break off a set-piece. Puitea curled a corner deep into the SC EB box where the towering Sipovic jumped above the Blasters defenders and nodded home. The goal brought relief and joy to the Blasters camp.
SC EB tried desperately to get back into the match and even had a couple of chances. It couldn’t convert them, thanks to the alert Blasters goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill.
The result: Kerala Blasters 1 (Sipovic 49) bt SC East Bengal 0.
