On the first day of the 2022–23 Indian Super League season, Adrian Luna got things started for Kerala Blasters against East Bengal before super-sub and newcomer Ivan Kaliuzhnyi scored twice. For significant stretches of the game, Stephen Constantine’s Red and Golds team fell flat. The Kolkata-based club’s defense was breached by the Yellow Army, who then quickly raced to a 3-1 triumph after the first half finished scoreless.
On Sunday, the Blasters, who finished second last year, will now play ATK Mohun Bagan. Before East Bengal faces FC Goa on October 12, Constantine will need to reflect. Does Arsenal have a chance to win the Premier League this season? Oleksandr Zinchenko, a proven winner, and Gabriel Jesus have both been signed by the Gunners, with the latter starting his career with Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Performing Side:
Adrian Luna: In front of their supporters, Adrian Luna gave Kerala Blasters the lead. It was a fantastic finish from a tight angle after a precise long pass off Harmanjot Khabra’s foot. When he didn’t have the ball, he was as spirited as usual and gave the full-backs of East Bengal a lot to consider.
Ivan Kaliuzhnyi: There is no better way to mark your presence in the Indian Super League than to score two exquisite goals on the first day of play. The Ukrainian attacker Kaliuzhnyi did exactly that. To get the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal, he first performed a solo ballet in front of the East Bengal defense. Later, he fired a fierce shot from outside the penalty area that was locked on the goal.
Jessel Carneiro: The Kerala Blasters captain did well to stop and limit movement on his wing, and they worked effectively together anytime he crossed the halfway point. For the Goan defender, it was a successful day at work.
The Losing Side:
East Bengal Fixture: It seems that Stephen Constantine prepared his team to defend. East Bengal appeared to have plenty of chances to score, but it took a game-changing goal from Adrian Lune for the Red and Golds to get going in the final third.
Wing: Particularly on Ankit Mukherjee’s side, East Bengal was poor along the flanks. He found it difficult to control his side of the field as Adrian Luna and Jessel Carneiro worked well together to perfect the proper technique for playing down the wings.
Sumeet Passi: After East Bengal’s lackluster performance in the season opener, numerous players deserved criticism. After a bad performance despite playing the whole 90 minutes, Sumeet Passi’s place and value in the starting lineup are currently unclear.
The Defensive Side:
Kerala Blasters: Whatever East Bengal managed to conjure in their last third of ingenuity, Kerala Blasters were ready to handle it. They only allowed one goal, but it was owing to shoddy defending, which Ivan Vukomanovic will have noticed.
East Bengal: Kerala Blasters had to make a great long pass and a fantastic goal to break the tie. However, the defense was still, allowing Kaliuzhnyi to score the second goal of the day from within the box.
The Blaster’s offense continued to press for goals after the break after missing opportunities in the first half (and having a couple of attempts stopped by goalie Kamaljit). It was clear what the intention was. The lead held by Kerala Blasters in the second half didn’t appear to be in any danger. For East Bengal to defeat FC Goa and get points, their attack must advance and perform better.
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