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The inaugural match of Indian Super League 2018-19 season saw Kerala Blasters take home the winning ball against host ATK at Kolkata.
Matej Poplatnik, Blasters’ 26-year striker bagged the opening goal in the 77th minute with a smooth header over the ATK custodian Arindam Bhattacharya. Slavisa Stajnovic sealed the driver’s spot later with a thrashing shot in 86th minute.
David James and boys would be satisfied, leaving Kolkata with the three points to begin their playoffs journey.
Here, we take a look at the hits and flops from the opening match of ISL 5:
#1 Hit: Matej Poplatnik
The Slovenian import seems to be Blasters' answer to a lot of questions. The vacancy left at the front, by the departure of Iain Hume might be filled in by this 26-year old.
Poplatnik was involved in the attack right from the start but missed the finishing touch on multiple occasions. He came close to goal in the early stages of the game, a header in the 4th minute that drifted past the post. The same man was behind the 7 corners Blasters sent into the ATK box, including one that felt the crossbar.
The constant attack Poplatnik developed from the long balls fed in from midfield and defense kept the momentum going for the yellow army. Finally in the 77th minute, he found the net from an easy header that was placed out of reach of the ATK keeper.
#2 Flop: Balwant Singh
![Balwant SIngh was missing in action [Image: ISL]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2018/09/7023c-15382419855189-800.jpg)
The reason Balwant Singh is remarked as a flop in today's game is that of his absence in any of ATK's attacks. The ATK forward, who went in with a bag full of goals at Salt Lake, couldn't turn the fortunes right for him this time.
Balwant was not involved almost any of ATK balls that went into the box. He was very rarely found in action and could not take advantage of the gaps left in Lalruatthara. The 31-year old had the options to test the inexperienced Dheeraj Singh at goal, but couldn't do so and kept the shots on target to nil. His only contributions are the 12 passes and 2 tackles made, which include the one-two played with Pronay Halder inside the box.
#3 Hit: Slavisla Stojanovic
Kerala Blasters' second striker and goal scorer must certainly find a spot in the list. Stojanovic went past the ATK shot-stopper in the 86th minute to add depth to the Blasters victory.
The 29-year old turned down the ATK stopper Gerson Vieira, gets the ball on the right-foot to curl one into the far corner. James would have been the most pleased man with Stojanovic's shot, proving his decision to play two foreign strikers, right. The Serbian player also made a good contribution in attack with 16 successful passes in the 90 minutes.
#4 Flop: Seiminlen Doungel
There were plenty of balls running down the right wing for Kerala Blasters, out of which very few could be advanced into dangerous balls. Seiminlen Doungel, who was in charge of the right wing did not have an outing to remember at Kolkata today.
Making his first appearance for Blasters, Doungel lost control of the ball at different times and offered the ball to the opponents. A better outing from the 24-year old would have sealed his place in the first XI, with players like Prasanth K and CK Vineeth waiting on the bench. Doungel was replaced in the 71st minute with CK Vineeth. The Manipur-born player's numbers stand to 10 passes, not the best for a winger at David James' squad.
#5 Hit: Nemanja Lakic-Pesic
Sandesh Jhingan's partner at the back for Blasters today had a memorable outing against ATK. Pesic pulled up a decent performance in the defence, along with better performances delivering the balls upfront.
He remained solid at back, making no notable mistakes and managed to get in position compensating Lalruatthara's absence when he was attacking. The Serbian defender won the possession back on numerous occasions and played a vital role in keeping Balwant Singh and Everton Santos silent, throughout the game.
Pesic also made his presence felt in the attack, with a couple of headers, one which was too close to goal. He completed 34 passes with very little errors.
