Kochi: Kerala Blasters FC head coach Mikael Stahre voiced his frustration after his team’s 2-1 loss to Punjab FC in their first Indian Super League (ISL) match of the season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Despite a strong showing for much of the game, two late goals from the opposition saw Kerala Blasters fall short in their home opener.
Stahre noted that the match was fairly balanced in the opening minutes, but Punjab began to take control as the first half progressed. “The first 15-20 minutes were quite even,” Stahre remarked after the match. “By the end of the first half, Punjab had the upper hand, but they didn’t create many clear chances. Most of their opportunities were from set pieces, which didn’t worry us much. We still expected more from ourselves in terms of ball control.”
Looking to shift the dynamics, Stahre made tactical substitutions at halftime, bringing on Jesus Jimenez and Vibin Mohanan for Kwame Peprah and Mohammed Aimen to strengthen their grip on the game. The changes helped improve their performance in the second half, but two late strikes from Punjab sealed Kerala’s defeat.
“We brought Jesus [Jimenez] on to help with keeping possession, and shifted Noah [Sadaoui] to the left while Vibin [Mohanan] came in,” Stahre explained. “Vibin has been out injured since our Thailand camp, but even in his first game back, he looked sharp.”
Although Kerala Blasters held firm for much of the game, defensive errors in crucial moments proved costly. Stahre acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, saying, “We were defensively solid, but in those decisive moments, we fell short. We need to attack with more numbers, be more precise, and ultimately, more clinical.”
While disappointed, Stahre remained optimistic about the future. “This defeat is tough to take right now,” he admitted. “But we will bounce back. It’s a painful moment, but we’ll recover.”
The Blasters will aim to regroup ahead of their next ISL fixture as they seek to turn things around.
