Kerala Blasters VS East Bengal FC | Kalinga Super cup |

-

 KBFC VS EBFC



The Kalinga Super Cup 2025 witnessed an exciting Round of 16 clash between Kerala Blasters FC and the defending champions, East Bengal FC, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, April 20, 2025. In a significant upset, under their new head coach David Catala, Kerala Blasters stunned the holders with a decisive 2-0 victory, securing their place in the quarterfinals.

The match began with both teams displaying a cautious approach, focusing on controlling the midfield. However, Kerala Blasters gradually found their footing and created several early opportunities. In the 2nd minute, Noah Sadaoui delivered a perfect square ball to Jesús Jiménez, but the Spanish striker couldn't connect. East Bengal responded in the 7th minute when Richard Celis's shot went narrowly wide.

Kerala Blasters continued to press, with Sadaoui proving to be a constant threat on the right flank. In the 34th minute, he set up Jiménez again, but the forward's shot went over the bar. The breakthrough for Kerala Blasters finally arrived in the 40th minute. Sadaoui was brought down inside the box by East Bengal defender Anwar Ali, and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Jiménez's initial penalty kick was saved by East Bengal goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. However, the referee ordered a retake as Gill had stepped off his line prematurely. On the second attempt, Jiménez made no mistake, slotting the ball home to give his team a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.



Just before the break, East Bengal almost found an equaliser when PV Vishnu's powerful shot struck the post, and Raphael Messi Bouli failed to convert the rebound.

East Bengal came out more intent in the second half, but they struggled to break Kerala Blasters' disciplined defence. In the 64th minute, Kerala Blasters doubled their lead with a moment of brilliance from Noah Sadaoui. The Moroccan winger skillfully dribbled past two East Bengal defenders on the right wing, cut inside onto his left foot, and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box that soared into the top corner of the net.



Despite making substitutions, East Bengal couldn't create any clear-cut chances to get back into the game. Sadaoui had a late opportunity to score his second goal but shot over the bar. The Kerala Blasters' defence remained resolute, denying any openings for the defending champions.

With this 2-0 victory, Kerala Blasters FC progressed to the quarterfinals of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025, where they are scheduled to face the Indian Super League (ISL) Shield and Cup double winners, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, on April 26th. This win marked a positive start for David Catala's tenure as the new head coach of Kerala Blasters, especially after both teams had disappointing ISL seasons, finishing outside the playoff spots. The defeat meant an early exit for the defending Kalinga Super Cup champions, East Bengal FC. Noah Sadaoui was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, which included winning the penalty and scoring a stunning goal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Indian League System

-
Image
 INDIAN LEAGUE SYSTEM:                                                   The Indian league was not properly maintained and organised by AIFF till 2007. 2007 was the year when the I-League was introduced in Indian Football, and the league contained 10 clubs across the country. Before the I-League was founded NFL (National Football League) was the highest league in Indian football. In the I-League, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Churchill Brothers FC were the teams that competed in the first season. It was highly competitive to win the cup because the giants like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal couldn't win the cup. In fact, a club from Goa won the I-League Cup in its first season, and the name of the club was Dempo SC. The way the NFL was organised was devastating, and the clubs were also not proper as they were teams created for corporation...
Read more

Indian Football

-
Image
 Indian Football:                                       The Indian Football Team had one of its best years back in the 1950s, and the head coach,  Sir Syed Abdul Rahim, was the greatest coach to manage the Indian side. In football, the Indian National team was known as the Brazil of Asia. Some players played in the Asian Games barefoot and won gold medals in the tournament. India has won the gold medal in the Asian Games 2 times 1951 and 1962. India would have been the best nation in football, but they failed. The greatest coach to coach India died in 1963, and with him the Indian football. He got the league players to play for the national team. He had to convince the league players to play because the league players were getting paid more than the national salary, and they didn't find any scope in the national league. The league players refused to play even after Sir...
Read more

Kalinga Super Cup

-
Image
 HISTORY OF KALINGA SUPER CUP:                                                       The Kalinga Super Cup's history began in 2018 when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) established it as the Super Cup, taking over from the Federation Cup as India's premier domestic cup competition. The inaugural edition saw Bengaluru FC crowned champions. After FC Goa's victory in 2019, the tournament faced a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in 2023 with a group stage format, which saw Odisha FC lift their first major trophy on home soil in Bhubaneswar, which had become the consistent host venue. In 2024, the tournament was rebranded as the Kalinga Super Cup through a sponsorship with the Government of Odisha, and East Bengal FC secured their first title under this new name. The ongoing 2025 edition has shifted back t...
Read more