Blasters dethrone champions in Super Cup shocker | OneFootball

Kerala Blasters Stun Defending Champions East Bengal in Super Cup Opener

Kerala Blasters FC secured a commanding 2-0 victory over defending champions East Bengal FC in their Super Cup 2025 opener at Kalinga Stadium.

Jesus Jimenez broke the deadlock for Kerala Blasters in the 41st minute after earlier missing several clear opportunities. The Spanish striker made no mistake from the penalty spot, converting after Noah Sadaoui was fouled by Anwar Ali inside the box.

Sadaoui doubled the advantage in the 64th minute with a spectacular strike. The winger beat two East Bengal defenders on the right flank before cutting inside and unleashing an unstoppable left-footed shot that found the top corner, giving goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill no chance despite getting a fingertip to the ball.

East Bengal had their chances to get back into the match. Vishnu hit the woodwork in the 43rd minute after weaving past three Kerala defenders, with Raphael Messi Bouli unable to convert the rebound into an almost open net.

The defending champions struggled to involve their forwards Messi Bouli and Dimitrios Diamantakos throughout the second half, leaving them on the verge of elimination from the tournament.

Kerala Blasters, under newly appointed head coach David Catala, showed promising signs as they built attacks patiently from the back. Their defense remained solid throughout, with Aibanbha Dohling making a crucial goal-line clearance in the 53rd minute to preserve their lead.

Both teams came into the tournament after missing out on the ISL playoffs, giving them ample preparation time for India's premier domestic knockout competition.

East Bengal fielded a strong lineup including Anwar Ali returning from injury, while Kerala Blasters relied on the creative partnership of Adrian Luna and Noah Sadaoui to support Jimenez in attack.

The match was played in challenging conditions, requiring a cooling break at the 30-minute mark as players battled the heat at Kalinga Stadium.

Source: SportStar