A Historic Night at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium for the Blasters as the Yellow Army finally gets their first win of the season, that too on a pitch they’ve never won till now.
BFC were beaten 2 goals to 1 by a resurging KBFC side, thanks to the stellar performances from the debutants – Karim Benarif and Franchu, along with yet another solid shift from Ebin in the midfield.
Bengaluru opened the scoring first via an unlucky own goal conceded by Ndiaye Fallou, but the game would change its potential course just minutes later as Bengaluru found themselves down to 10-men after Braian Sánchez was sent off after punching Matias in the face during an altercation mid-game.
KBFC tried to act quick to use the scenario to their advantage by bringing on Karim Benarif in the first half itself but they would have to wait till the second half to finally start the comeback as Ebin set up Victor Bertomeu with a nicely played pass that went through Bheke, and the Spaniard showed composure to slot the ball past Gurpreet to bring his side back on level terms. 1-1.
The Blasters, now, had a potential victory at their hands, and sensing that, Westwood made two decisive subs, bringing in Ajsal and Franchu for Vibin and goal scorer, Bertomeu. The substitution proved to be crucial as it paid off in 79′ as the debutant Franchu brilliantly placed the ball between the legs of GSS from a tight angle, giving the Blasters a 2 – 1 victory. Now that you’ve got a brief description of what happened yesterday, here’s our 3 key takeaways from the game:
Pep Muñoz has his job cut out for him
Pep Muñoz made his managerial debut for the Blues yesterday, and arguably, he couldn’t have gotten a worse start. A 2-1 defeat, that too against arch-rivals KBFC who’re at their weakest point in history, along with the defeat ending the coveted unbeaten record against the Blasters at the Sree Kanteerava, makes the defeat a too bitter one to digest for the BFC faithful.
In his defence, the Sánchez red card incident was a primary cause for his defeat, but this red card is likely gonna cost them.
Muñoz has his job cut out for him in the upcoming fixtures where the Blues face the likes of East Bengal and Mumbai, with the Blues missing out on the services of their highest goal scorer in this season in the form of Braian Sánchez, who’s likely gonna miss out on at least 1 game due to the suspension induced by the red card.
Yesterday’s game was just the 2nd defeat in the campaign for the Blues, and for a side that is fighting for the title, any more defeats would take the wind out of their sails in their quest for a return to the Asian stages.
A Historic Victory for Everyone Involved with the Blasters
This victory is sweet for everyone involved with the Blasters. It’s their first win of the season, in the South-Indian derby against their arch-rivals, Bengaluru. The fact that the Blasters finally broke the Blues’ unbeaten record at home against the former adds Chashni to the Jalebi, to be served as a dessert along with the Biriyani.
The game that marked Westwood’s return to Bengaluru has also marked his first victory in the ISL as a head coach, a milestone for the Blasters’ English gaffer. This is a game to remember for another Englishman as well, the former ISL player and now assistant manager, Peter Hartley, as he also got his first victory as a member of a coaching staff for an ISL side in his debut for the Kochi-based club.
Ebindas has propelled himself to the top of the assist list in the league this season with 4 assists to his name, with two coming from this game as he was once again crucial in the build-up for the Blasters’ goals.
Another outstanding performance from the youngster who could well be on his way to breaking the record for most assists in a season by an Indian player for the Blasters. Franchu has also made history in his debut with his winner over the Blues, and the fans will be expecting to see more from him in the upcoming games.
The performances by the players today in securing this historic victory for the Blasters give hope for the fans for the remainder of the season ahead, and the 3 points obtained are ever-so-crucial in the Blasters’ quest to avoid relegation, and it gives them a platform to climb up to a safe distance from the drop zone.
A Change in Personnel and A Change in Results for the Blasters
The Blasters have made more changes to their squad than any other team in the top tier of Indian Football this season, making a total of 9 foreign signings (only incl. players who appeared in the 25/26 ISL season) – 5 made before the start of the league and 4 after.
This win, especially considering the fact that it came after the replacement of 3 foreign players and the whole managerial staff, raises a lot of questions against the Blasters’ management, and these questions are emboldened by the revelations made by ex-head coach David Catala in a recent interview.
The presence and quality of the latest two foreigners undoubtedly turned the game in favor of the Blasters, and the question of why wasn’t the same type of signings done earlier is rising among the fans, who day by day show that they are in the right.
What’s Next?
Westwood would be happy with the way his team performed last night and will be working on how to improve this side in order to gain the maximum possible points from their remaining games to ensure a safe finish at the end of the league phase.
Pep Muñoz, on the other hand, has his work cut out for him as his side faces a high-flying East Bengal next, and how he’s gonna cope with the unavailability of arguably the best playmaker in the squad for at least a game up ahead is to be seen.
Kerala Blasters face Northeast United next in Kochi on Wednesday, 15th of April, 2026, while the Blues face the Lal Holud Brigade just a day later on the 16th of April, 2026, in Kolkata.
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