ISL 2024-25: Sadaoui stars as Kerala Blasters stuns Odisha FC
ISL 2024-25: Sadaoui stars as Kerala Blasters stuns Odisha FC
Noah Sadaoui’s scored an injury-time match-winner as Kerala Blasters pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory over a strong Odisha FC in the Indian Super League at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Monday.
The Blasters were down by a fourth-minute goal but the home boys turned the match around dramatically scoring thrice in a 35-minute spell in the second half. They dominated the game and came up with some quick thinking at crucial moments and climbed a rung to the eighth spot in the league table.
Odisha, which went ahead through a Jerry Mawihmingthanga goal, came up with a strong defence and managed to cut out the space for the Blasters forwards for much of the first half. But once the Blasters found the equaliser around the hour mark through Kwame Peprah’s smart move – he ran through the centre, side-stepped goalkeeper Amrinder and scored with an angled shot – Odisha’s defence started looked shaky.
The other two Blasters goals also had a touch of drama to them. Sadaoui relayed captain Adrian Luna’s cross from the right to Jesus Jimenez, who had come off the bench in the 60th minute, and the latter found the net with a happy push.
The Blasters goalkeeper Sachin Suresh was forced to toil hard, thwarting two desperate Odisha attempts before allowing the opponent to level 2-2 in the 80th minute but Sadaoui, the day’s hero, made sure the fans went home a happy lot with a shot from the left which deflected off Rahim Ali’s leg and went in.
