Kerala Blasters FC players celebrate after a goal against Odisha FC in an ISL match in Kochi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: R. K. Nithin
Noah Sadaoui celebrates with a teammate.
| Photo Credit:
R. K. Nithin
Noah Sadaoui scored an injury-time goal as Kerala Blasters pulled off a stunning 3-2 victory over a strong Odisha FC in the ISL at the Nehru Stadium here on Monday.
The Blasters were down by a fourth-minute goal but the host team 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 a defender’s leg and went in.
The result: Kerala Blasters 3 (Kwame Peprah 60, Jesus Jimenez 73, Noah Sadaoui 90+5) bt Odisha FC 2 (Jerry Mawihmingthanga 4, Dorielton Gomes 80).
Published – January 13, 2025 10:35 pm IST
