'Those uncalled penalties drained us': Kerala Blasters coach Mikael Stahre

In a match marked by controversy, Kerala Blasters FC fell 2-1 to Hyderabad FC, with two uncalled penalties leaving Blasters’ head coach Mikael Stahre visibly frustrated.

Stahre openly expressed his disappointment with the officiating, stating that the missed penalty decisions had a significant impact on his team’s performance and ultimately affected the final scoreline.

"So that's like we lose a little bit of control when they didn’t consider that penalty,” Stahre said after the match. “For me, I'm not the guy that usually complains about referees, and I know it's hard to be out there... but this was not even close. Unfortunately, we lost the game by that. The performance was obviously not good enough, but that penalty drained us,” he continued.

Despite a promising start by Kerala Blasters, who took the lead through Jesus Jimenez in the 13th minute, Hyderabad responded with an equalizer from Andrei Alba just before halftime.

Alba later scored the winning goal from the penalty spot, leaving the Blasters to reflect on missed opportunities—and controversial calls.

However, young Korou Singh’s historic performance offered a bright spot to the home team.

At 17 years and 340 days, Singh became the youngest player to start for Kerala Blasters and the youngest in ISL history to register an assist, setting up Jesus Jimenez’s opener in the 13th minute.

Head coach Mikael Stahre praised Singh’s efforts, stating, “Of course, I see him as a really big talent. He impressed in training sessions and also in reserve games, so it was a fairly easy decision to start him tonight.”

Stahre reflected on the overall performance, disappointed by the team’s inability to protect their lead after Jimenez’s goal.

"We came out really well; we played exactly like the game plan we addressed. We used the wide areas and created lots of one-against-one situations,” he said.

However, after Andrei Alba equalized for Hyderabad just before halftime, Stahre acknowledged that it was challenging for his team to regain momentum. "Out of the blue, we conceded 1-1; it was way too weak in their own box," he noted, adding that the late goal had a clear impact on his team’s morale.

Korou Singh's strong first half eventually saw him subbed out after he showed signs of fatigue and picked up a yellow card. Stahre explained, “To sub him out was easy to do; he was completely tired and lacked energy. But you will definitely see more of him in the future.”

Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto, on the other hand, lauded his side’s resilience.

“Credit to Kerala Blasters because they were pressing us higher. Sometimes you need luck, and today was a day where maybe the god of luck was having mercy on us,” he remarked.

Singto acknowledged the challenges his team faced, including Kerala’s intense pressing, the wet pitch, and the humid conditions. Despite these difficulties, he praised his players for rallying back, particularly after Alba’s first goal, which came “out of nothing,” as Singto noted.

While Kerala Blasters took the early lead, Hyderabad’s resolve ultimately prevailed, with Alba securing his second goal from the penalty spot.

Singto highlighted his focus on defense, sharing a pre-match conversation with his player, Alex Saji: “I said, ‘Alex, today should be a clean sheet for the defense group.’ It didn’t happen... But credit to the boys; they came back strong. That’s the grit, that spirit, despite all the challenges,” he concluded.