Kerala Blasters Eclipse Bengaluru FC 2-1 In Thrilling ISL 2023-24 Season Opener

Bengaluru FC suffered a 1-2 defeat to Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (2023-24) season opener on Thursday, making a forgettable start to their campaign in the 10th season of ISL. New signee Curtis Main, a second-half substitute, scored late (90'), but the Blues were unable to complete the comeback. The Blasters kicked off the game, with as many as four debutants among Bengaluru's starting eleven.

Slavko Damjanovic, Jessel Carneiro, Keziah Veendorp, and Ryan Williams made their debut for Bengaluru FC. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu took the captain's armband for Bengaluru in the absence of Sunil Chhetri, who was on national duty at the Asian Games. Naorem Roshan Singh's long-range effort caught Sachin Suresh off guard in the 35th minute, giving the Blues their best chance.

However, the Kerala goalkeeper parried it away for a corner as both teams walked down the tunnel at halftime with a 0-0 scoreline. The momentum shifted back to Kerala at the start of the second half. Peprah came close to scoring in the 52nd minute, but Gurpreet blocked the shot.