Kerala Blasters shrugged off their initial hesitancy to make short work of Shillong Lajong Football Club in the opening Group B match of the 2024 Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.
The current leaders in the ISL 10 won the encounter 3-1 without breaking much of a sweat, even though the I-League title contenders, Shillong Lajong, did display some urgency at the upfront whenever they had a chance to do so.
The first half hour of the match turned out to be an action-packed one, with three goals coming in this period. After Shillong had a wasted opportunity at the rival goalmouth, Kerala Blasters struck twice before Shillong pulled one back in the 30th minute. The issue was more or less settled in favour of the winners when they slammed in one more immediately after the break.
Kerala Blasters’ opening goal in the 15th minute was a combined move between skipper Dimantakos Dimitros and Kwame Peprah, with the latter finding the target. The Greece recruit was quick to find the gap between the two centre backs outside the area and sent a smooth through pass for Peprah. The Ghanaian striker grabbed the chance to beat Neithoville Chalieu under the bar.
The Kerala club doubled the lead in the 27th minute, with Peprah again on target. The bulk of the credit for this goal should go to wingback Prabir Das, whose probing runs from the right flank often created problems for the Shillong defence. This time, Das’ cross at the goalmouth was clinical and accurate. Peprah reached at the nick of time to chest the ball in.
Shillong had a flicker of hope when they reduced the margin two minutes later from a spot kick. As Kerala goalkeeper Sachin Suresh pulled down Senegal striker Elhadji Karim inside the box while trying to collect the ball, Brazilian Renan Paulino de Souza didn’t make any mistake from the penalty kick, sending the goalkeeper on the wrong side.
If Shillong Lajong were nursing any hope of making a comeback in the second half, then Kerala Blasters poured water on it with a goal within a minute of the resumption. It was a lovely move, with Japanese midfielder Daisuke Sakai running from the right to float the ball perfectly at the goalmouth. Equally prompt was Mohammed Aimen, who headed in, though Chalieu could have been a little more alert to the situation.
