The opening fixture of Indian Super League 2022/23 contained plenty of drama, goals, and action. Making his debut for Kerala Blasters, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi scored twice while Adrian Luna grabbed a stunning goal as the hosts defeated Stephen Constantine-led East Bengal 3-1 to begin proceedings.
While both teams had a few opportunities to break the deadlock and take the lead in the first half, the best chance fell to Kerala Blasters from a dead-ball situation. Receiving a free-kick in the 42nd minute, Luna tested Kamaljit Singh, but the East Bengal keeper had the answers for it. Even though the ball bounced awkwardly in front of him, he managed to parry it away for a corner.
The hosts began the second half strongly and kicked things up a notch. Five minutes after the break, Kamaljit was called into action once again, this time to deny Apostolos Giannou. The East Bengal shot-stopper kept out another shot off Luna from close range at the far post just three minutes later.
KBFC finally got their noses ahead in the 72nd minute of the contest as Harmanjot Khabra found Luna in the box with a sublime long ball from his own half. The Uruguayan managed to get his foot on it to sneak it past the goalkeeper, giving his side a crucial lead.
Just 10 minutes later, Blasters doubled their advantage with Kalyuzhnyi, who came on as a late second-half substitute for Giannou, finding the back of the net on his debut.
While East Bengal did manage to ensure a tense and nervy finish to the game with Alex Lima scoring a stunning volley from inside the box, all fears were dismissed quickly as Kalyuzhnyi responded with a brilliant left-footed volley from distance to restore Blasters’ two-goal advantage and secure the contest.
