Kerala Blasters climb atop ISL 2023-24 points table after hard-fought victory over Hyderabad FC

In an end-to-end affair between Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, on Saturday, November 25, Milos Drincic's first-half strike was the only difference between the two sides.

Despite the incessant push from Thangboi Singto's men to restore parity, the defensive resilience of the hosts shone brightly.

The Kerala Blasters were heading into the fixture on the back of two consecutive victories and were unsurprisingly on the front foot in the initial phase. Pritam Kotal managed to thread Kwame Peprah through in the second minute, but the Ghanaian international failed to control the ball.

The overzealous crowd had already started roaring at the Kochi cauldron, and the Nizams needed to strangulate the cheers. Thangboi Singto's side set out to neutralize KBFC's 12th man. Jonathan Moya got at the end of a dinked ball from Mohammed Yasir in the 10th minute, but his header was wide of the target.

But moments later, Hyderabad FC finally managed to work the opposition keeper with a vicious Joe Knowles header from a corner situation. Sachin Suresh, however, was up to the task and denied the Australian with an outstretched save.

From then on, the Nizmas had a spring in their steps and continued to carve out a few chances. After the drinks break, another glorious opportunity arrived for Moya when Yasir found him inside the opposition box. Despite being primely positioned to break the deadlock, the Costa Rican striker squandered the opportunity.

Just as Kerala Blasters were seemingly being silenced in their own backyard, their ever-reliable talisman, Adrian Luna, stepped in with a moment of magic. After receiving the ball on the right flank, the Uruguayan international outpaced his marker and drilled a low cross into the middle.

Center-back Milos Drincic, who had come up for the corner, timed his run perfectly before slotting the ball into the back of the net in the 41st minute.

Bitterly, HFC went into the dressing room for the half-time break trailing, albeit by a narrow margin. They had some considerable chances to pull ahead but, in turn, had nothing to show for it.

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Kerala Blasters FC hold fort in the second half to negate Hyderabad FC's attacking push

Kerala Blasters, expectedly reignited by the late goal in the first half, started off the second 45 on a bright note. Milos Drincic came close to scoring right away in the 52nd minute when he climbed the highest to reach an inch-perfect corner delivery from Luna.

The Montenegrin's towering header was seemingly heading toward the bottom right corner, but Gurmeet Singh acrobatically tipped the ball onto the post and denied the hosts. Kerala Blasters were more than happy to hold on throughout the second half, while Hyderabad FC continued their hunt for the equalizer.

Just before the referee could blow the final whistle and sentence Hyderabad FC to their fourth defeat of the season, Ramhlunchhunga struck a dipping long-range effort in the 95th minute, but Sachin Suresh judged the trajectory to perfection and punched the ball away to retain his clean sheet.

The victory takes KBFC to the top of the pile with 16 points from seven matches, while Hyderabad FC are groveling in the 11th spot with just three points to their name.

The Kerala Blasters will next square off against Southern rivals Chennaiyin FC, and the Nizams will be hoping to secure their first victory of the season against heavyweights Mohun Bagan SG.