ISL: Diaz haunts former team as Bengaluru crush Blasters

Bengaluru FC notched their fifth win of the Indian Super League with a clinical 3-1 victory against Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi on Friday.

In an encounter where the Blues conceded their first goal of the campaign, they held their nerves and capitalised upon the openings to breakthrough the Kerala Blasters FC backline and inflict upon them a loss in front of a rousing home crowd.

The Gerard Zaragoza-coached side laid the foundation of this incredible outing within the first 10 minutes of the clash.

Argentine striker Jorge Pereyra Diaz has been a bundle of energy for them upfront in this season and it was his relentless high-press that handed them the integral lead in the eighth minute.

As Kerala Blasters FC aimed to build attacks gradually from the back, Diaz charged up ahead with sheer pace to pressurize Pritam Kotal into losing the possession.

The former Kerala Blasters forward then carefully dribbled the ball ahead and lobbed it over goalkeeper Som Kumar to get his team ahead in the game.

Bengaluru FC's joy was short-lived though as defender Rahul Bheke's foul on Kwame Peprah inside the penalty box at the brink of the half-time whistle handed Kerala Blasters FC a reprieve.

Jesus Jimenez was flawless from the spot, firing the ball into the top left corner to equalise the scores.

The visitors had their trump card in Edgar Mendez unleashed full throttle in the second essay of the play.

Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera has been critical for Bengaluru FC in earning fouls from goal-scoring positions this season. One such instance led to a melee inside the box in the 74th minute.

However, Mendez, placed right at the centre of the 18-yard area, was at the correct place at the correct time to simply slot the ball past a disoriented defence into the bottom right corner to regain the lead.

Bengaluru FC resorted to protecting their lead in the final 20 minutes, but they weren't hesitant to hit Kerala Blasters FC on the counter either.

In the fourth minute of the added time of the second half, Bengaluru FC broke into a quick offensive move and it culminated with Mohamed Salah trusting Mendez with an outside-of-the-box effort to bag Bengaluru FC's third goal of the night.