HOSTS KERALA BLAST NORTHEAST UNITED
Kerala Blasters opened their second season in exuberant style with a 3-1 hammering of NorthEast United at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Tuesday.
Josu Prieto scored with a brilliant volley on the 49th minute before two goals in quick succession from Mohammed Rafi and Sanchez Watt scripted the perfect opening night for last year’s losing finalists.
Nicolas Velez’s scintillating curler on the 82nd minute that had the ingredients of a headline-maker was sadly a mere footnote for the visitors.
For Kerala fans, any complaints of a goal drought from the first season, where the team in yellow scored just nine goals in 14 league outings, was forgotten in a blur.
The new-look Blasters had new heroes who deceived the visitors with hope shortly before pillaging their existence on the pitch with waves of attacks.
Spaniard Josu Prieto, who roamed in stealth mode for long periods in the first half, came alive inside five minutes after break. His clean strike into the top left corner gave no chance to diving NorthEast goalkeeper T.P. Rehenesh.
A sea of yellow that numbered 60,017 came in belief of a new age of football and they left in disbelief. The Blasters’ English head coach Peter Taylor had made a studious start, opting for a 3-5-2 but it turned out to be their only cautious phase in the game.
With former QPR defener Bruno Perone at the centre of a threeman backline that included captain Peter Ramage and Marcus Williams, the NorthEast attackers were tightly marked.
In the absence of Simao Sabrosa, Diomansy Kamara shouldered the responsibility of scoring for the visitors, but was tucked into the midfield as they searched for inspiration.