ISL 2022-23: Kerala Blasters beats East Bengal in opener- As it happened

Kerala Blasters commenced the 2022-23 season of the Indian Super League with a thumping 3-1 win over visitors East Bengal at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Friday, 7th October in Kochi. Adrian Luna and Ivan Kalyuzhnyi scored for the Yellow Army while Alex Lima netted for the Red and Gold.

Here are some of the main highlights from the season opener:

Fans are back!

After two long years, the fans are back in the stadiums to cheer on their favourite teams. In Kochi, the Jawaharlal Nehru was rocking at full capacity as the Manjappada chanted various songs and jumped up and down in unison.

The sea of yellow tonight was an exciting sight for all football fans as the spectators made sure they were loud enough after every Kerala Blasters goal was scored.

Adrian Luna's heartwarming moment

After losing his daughter, Julieta earlier this year, it was a special moment for Adrian Luna as he dedicated his wonder strike against East Bengal to her. It was truly a heartwarming moment when Luna pointed to the skies as all his teammates embraced him.

Dream debut for Ivan!

No, we aren't talking about the coach. We are talking about the Ukranian giant Ivan Kalyuzhnyi who scored a brace within 10 minutes, and that too coming off the bench! He came on at the 80th minute and practically scored with his first touch two minutes later!

Then, a clearance fell to some way off the East Bengal box and took it on the half volley to find the net with a wonder strike. With this goal, Ivan had ensured all three points for his team.