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Hosts Kerala Blasters began their home game against FC Goa on the seventh position, and were looking for their third win in four matches, but stumbled to a 2-1 defeat against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
The Blasters, under new manager David James, would have been looking to climb closer to the top half of the ISL table.
FC Goa emerged victorious in an exciting clash that saw a good back and forth on the pitch. After going down early in the match, Kerala Blasters recovered well to equalize in the first half. The second half saw good competition but Goa edged ahead with Edu Bedia's match-winning headed goal to seal the three points for the visitors.
Kerala Blasters FC
Paul Rachubka (5/10) - The Kerala keeper was called into action early when a shot from Lanzarote hit the woodwork. He was beaten by Coro early on but had a decent showing after that. He produced a brave save to keep Coro out in the second half of the match but was beaten by a superb header from Edu Bedia.
Rino Anto (4/10) - The right-back who returned from injury after missing the last match against Jamshedpur FC had an unfortunate outing as he was stretchered after the half-hour mark and was replaced by Nemanja Lakic-Pesic.
Wes Brown (6/10) - The Englishman had a decent outing in defence after the initial Goa onslaught in the first half. Brown was a calming presence at the back as he organized the defence to keep the creative Goan attack in check. He switched to the right-back position when Rino Anto had to be substituted out for an injury problem.
Sandesh Jhingan (7/10) - The Kerala skipper was his usual reliable self as he displayed great commitment in all of his tackles and clearances. He kept the threat of Ferran Corominas in check and won a lot of balls in the air as Goa looked for holes in the Kerala defence.
Lalruatthara (5.5/10) - The left-back was a feisty figure tonight as he was called into action by the Goa wingers on many occasions with their overlapping runs. He was a tad rough in his tackling tonight and was lucky to escape being booked for the second time.
Milan Singh (6/10) - The midfielder had a slow start as he struggled to string together passes and lost the ball on many occasions. He recovered well as the game went on and did well to break up a lot of Goa plays with his back-tracking.
Siam Hanghal (7/10) - The former Mumbai FC midfielder came very close to scoring when his effort hit the woodwork and went over. He provided the assist for C.K Vineeth's goal in the first half with a headed flick. He did well in the defensive midfielder role as Goa kept on attacking through the centre for the winning goal.
C.K Vineeth (8/10) - The Kerala man got the sides level in the first half when he latched onto a ball from Siam Hanghal and slotted it past the rushing Kattimani. He put in an incredible shift tonight and covered a lot of distance as he kept going in search of his second goal of the night.
Courage Pekuson (6.5/10) - The Ghanian midfielder wasn't in the thick of things throughout the match but he played a good supporting role as he passed the ball well around the park. He also tracked back to defend whenever the team needed his services.
Jackichand Singh (6/10) - The former Mumbai City FC winger played a good supporting in the Kerala midfield with his runs on the right flank and even put in a couple of crosses into the box for Hume and Vineeth to attack.
Iain Hume (7.5/10) - Iain Hume was again an incredibly lively presence in the Kerala attack as he played just behind Vineeth and operated all around the midfield. He went in with full commitment into the aerial duels and tried to find through-balls for Vineeth to attack.
Substitutes:
Nemanja Lakic-Pesic (6/10) - The tall Serbian defender came on in the 36th minute when Rino Anto went out injured. He slotted into the Kerala defence as Wes Brown moved to the right-back spot.
Prashanth K (4.5/10) - The young winger came on in place of Milan Singh as Kerala ingested some pace into the attack as they searched for the equalizing goal.
Mark Sifneos (4/10) - The lanky striker came on in the added time as Kerala went in search of the equalizer at the end.
FC Goa
Laxmikant Kattimani (6/10) - The Goan keeper had a decent night between the sticks except for the fumble that led to the Vineeth goal. He was confident in his collections from crosses put in by the Kerala players and kept the Kerala counter-attacks in control.
Seriton Fernandes (6.5/10) - The right-back for the visitors was busy on both ends of the pitch as he kept the Kerala left-back Lalruatthara busy with his runs on the overlap. Fernandes was good in defence
Sergio Juste (7/10) - Sergio Juste was a rock in the Goan defence tonight as he organized the defensive line for the away side. He blocked a lot of attempts from the Kerala attackers and was strong in the air to keep out any threat of aerial balls into the Goan box.
Mohammed Ali (6.5/10) - The young Indian defender was a strong presence alongside Juste in the defence as the home side kept attacking on the counter. He did well to intercept a lot of through-balls and kept the threat of Iain Hume in check.
Narayan Das (7/10) - The India international left-back was a constant source of trouble for the Kerala defenders with his overlapping runs on the left flank. He combined well with Mandar Rao Desai ahead of him to put in crosses for Coro in the Kerala box.
Ahmed Jahouh (7/10) - The Moroccan midfielder plied his trade just in front of the Goa defence as he played in the pivot role, connecting play between defence and attack. He was a tough man to beat for Kerala midfielders and he spread the ball well around the park with great diagonal balls for the wingers.
Edu Bedia (8/10) - The hard-working Edu Bedia was everywhere in the midfield as he moved around the pitch to attack and defend whenever called upon. He broke up and started several moves for the away side. Bedia got his name on the scoresheet when he headed in a corner in the 77th minute.
Mandar Rao Desai (7.5/10) - The Goan winger provided the assist for the first Goa goal when his cross was finished by Coro in the 7th minute. He was constantly on the move on the left flank and kept Rino Anto and later Wes Brown on their toes with his incisive runs.
Manuel Lanzarote (7/10) - The Spaniard played his usual creative role with Coro as the target man ahead of him. His movement and passing in the midfield was a constant threat for the Kerala Blasters defenders.
Brandon Fernandes (7.5/10) - The former Mumbai City FC midfielder was a lively presence in the Goa midfield and operated behind the attack for the visitors. He created the first goal for FC Goa with an incisive through-ball for Mandar Rao Desai. Brandon Fernandes put in the corner that was headed into the goal by Edu Bedia
Ferran Corominas (8/10) - Coro took the lead in the top scorers' list with 10 goals to his name when he finished off Mandar Rao Desai's cross early on in the game. He kept the defenders occupied with his runs into the box and even fell back a bit in the midfield to kickstart attacks.
Substitutes:
Manvir Singh (4.5/10) - The young Indian international was put in place of Mandar Rao Desai to add some pace to the Goa attack as Kerala defenders grew weary at the end.
Manuel Arana (4/10) - The Spaniard came on for Lanzarote in the 88th minute as Sergio Lobera ran down the clock with Goa in the lead.
Pronay Halder (4/10) - The hard-tackling midfielder was put in for the last three minutes of added time as FC Goa aimed to hold on to the lead.
