Kerala Blasters ended this season in ISL in a way that Kochi fans never expected. The uproar surrounding Bengaluru FC’s controversial goal walk-off in the playoffs by Sunil Chhetri is far from over. Under Ivan Vukomanovic, this season was a great performance. Continual defeats in the last games were the humiliation. They have lost four of their last five games. Blasters, who battled Hyderabad FC in last season’s title battle, expected a similar battle this season. Despite faltering in the first stage, the team was able to advance with successive victories. However, the excellence in the home ground could not be repeated in the opposite fields. Out of the 10 wins, only three were against the opposition. Seven wins in Kochi. In the last game of the league, they lost to Hyderabad at home. Adrian Luna was the strength of the Blasters. However, after the first phase of the league, Luna got tired. It also affected the team. Ivan Kaliushny also could not repeat the excellence of the first matches. Malayali star Sahl Abdul Samad also disappointed in the last matches. He scored three goals in 20 games. The team scored 28 goals in 21 games in the season. Dimitrios Diamantakos is the top scorer with 10 goals. In the defense, Marko Leskovic was out due to injury and the Blasters suffered setbacks in all the matches. Goal keeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill’s performances are often overlooked. Vukomanovic gave many opportunities to the young players. Vibin Mohanan played full time against Bengaluru. Another young player Nihal Sudheesh also played in some matches. Vukomanovic has a contract until 2025. What is the future? Action will be taken against Kerala Blasters and coach Ivan Vukomanovic for leaving the field in protest during the match. Possibilities range from fines to bans. Meanwhile, Blasters team officials gave full support to Vukomanovic. So far neither the club nor the coach has responded to the incident. Blasters may file a complaint against the referee Crystal John who controlled the match. Read on deshabhimani.com
