Kerala thrash Karnataka 7-3, enter Santosh Trophy final

AIFF Media 

Super sub Jesin TK scored five as Kerala thrashed Karnataka 7-3 to move a step closer to winning their seventh Hero Santosh Trophy title in the first semi-final at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium here in Mallapuram on Thursday.

Kerala's game plan was keeping hold of the ball and trying to thread the ball through the Karnataka defence. Skipper Jijo Joseph was the orchestrator in midfield as the hosts tried to go for the kill right from the whistle.  

However, completely against the run of play, Karnataka took the lead. Their game plan was very simple, sit back and defend in numbers and hit the hosts on the counter. And the ploy worked a treat in the 25th minute. Solaimalai N made a fine overlapping run down the left flank and his ball found skipper Sudheer Kotikela lurking at the back post who made no mistake to hand the four-time champions an unlikely lead.

And it could have gotten even better. Biby Thomas' side initiated another counter-attack with Kotikela holding off the defenders and laying off a perfect ball for the onrushing Kamalesh P. With just the goalie to beat, he poked his effort agonisingly wide, much to the dismay of his teammates and his coach.

And that miss broke the back of the Karnataka players and suddenly Kerala roared back into the contest and how! And it all started after the Kerala coach substituted the ineffective Viknesh M for Jesin. And what an impact Jesin had since coming on in the 30th minute.

His first touch was almost a goal after a through ball was latched onto by the substitute but Karnataka keeper Kevin Koshy came off his line to good effect and thwart the striker. But in the 35th minute, Jesin proved too quick for Koshy as this time he beat the advancing keeper and slotted home to equalise as the capacity crowd went wild with ecstasy.

Some very poor defending by the defensive duo of Siju S and M Sunil Kumar meant another presentable opportunity fell to Jesin. And the lanky attacker made no mistake once again, as he toe-poked the ball past a helpless Koshy to hand the seven-time champions a deserved lead.

And it got even better for the substitute as he netted his hat-trick in the 45th minute. A shot from the right by Nijo Gilbert was saved by a diving Koshy but Jesin was once again on hand to divert the ball home. What an inspired piece of substitution it was as the young star netted thrice in the span of only 15 minutes to completely change the complexion of the game.

Kerala was not done yet. Gilbert's cross-cum-shot was saved by Koshy but once again, the rebound fell to a Kerala player. This time around, Shighil was on hand to increase Kerala's lead as they went into the break leading 4-1.

Harsh words must have been spoken by the Karnataka coach as his players started much brighter. Magesh Selva had the chance to reduce the deficit but he just could not sort his feet out as a cross floated in from the right. But Karnataka eventually did pull a goal back in the 54th minute.

An innocuous looping shot from the left flank by Kamalesh was completely misjudged by Kerala goalkeeper Midhun V who tried to tip the ball over the bar. He completely misjudged the flight and the ball nestled in the back of the net. The scoreline read 4-2 in Kerala's favour.

Just as the Karnataka players were sensing the chance to mount a comeback, the super sub struck once again. Within two minutes, Kerala once again led by 3 goals. He nicked the ball off the Karnataka defence, ran from the centre circle and then finished with aplomb with his right foot this time.

Within 5 minutes, the home side extended their lead. Arjun Jayaraj made a fine run down the right flank and his cross took a wicked deflection off of Siju and it completely bamboozled Koshy who had no chance.

Credit to the Karnataka players as they kept pushing and they got their reward in the 72nd minute. A rasping long range drive from Solaimalai went through a crowd of players, beyond the fingertips of a diving Midhun as Karnataka reduced the lead by a goal. But that just sparked Jesin into action once again as he went through on goal to score his fifth of the night and Kerala's seventh.

The match eventually finished 7-3 in favour of the hosts who will be looking to win the competition on home soil and currently look favourites to lift the trophy on Monday. The second semi-final between West Bengal and Manipur is scheduled for Friday (April 29, 2022).

Lightning first half display helps Kickstart beat Bengaluru FC and keep them in title contention

Bengaluru FC Media  

Kickstart FC’s four first half goals were enough to see pick up all three points, in a BDFA Super Division encounter at the Bangalore Football Stadium, on Tuesday. Goals from Ankith P (12’), Solaimalai (33’, 45’) and Princewill Olariche (42’) saw Kickstart get off to a flying start. The Blue Colts managed to score twice in the second half but it would count for nothing. Macarton Nickson (47’) and Robin Yadav (89’) got on the scoresheet for Bengaluru FC.  

It was Ankith’s in the 12th minute of the game who found himself in a great position during Kickstart FC’s first attack of the game, and managed to get a shot off his right foot to send the ball past Dipesh Chauhan in goal. Bengaluru FC kept pressing for the equaliser but their efforts were futile after Solaimalai’s initial shot was saved, but the rebound fell kindly to the same player only for him to curl it past Dipesh in goal to double the lead in the 33rd minute. 

The Blue Colts struggled to find their rhythm which resulted in Kickstart FC capitalising and scoring two more in the last five minutes of the game. Princewill Olariche scored KFC’s third of the afternoon after putting his laces through the ball on the volley and burying into the bottom corner. It went from bad to worse for the Blues as Solaimalai scored his second goal of the game in the dying minutes of the first half after finding himself in the right place at the right time in the box and booting it into the roof of the net from close range. 

The Blue Colts came out a different team in the second half and were on the attack from the get go. Bengaluru FC scored within the first two minutes of the second half after a beautifully threaded through ball from Thoi Singh found Macarton Nickson who made the perfect run to stay onside to find himself in a 1v1 position with the goalkeeper. 

The forward kept his cool and slotted it past Jayanthkumar Krishnamurthy to make it 4-1. Macarton made all the right noise after coming on in the second half creating multiple chances for the Blue Colts. The BFC number ten found himself through on goal again in the 80th minute and was brought down by the goalkeeper, but the referee chose to wave on play. Bengaluru did get a penalty awarded to them a minute from time, that Robin Yadav converted to make it 4-2.