PV Vishnu and Hijazi Maher scored a goal apiece as East Bengal FC returned to winning ways with a 2-1 triumph over Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Friday night. This was the Red & Gold Brigade’s first victory in five games, having last won 1-0 against Jamshedpur FC on December 21.
 
A brilliant first-half strike from Vishnu saw the hosts take the lead at half-time before Hijazi Maher extended the advantage in the second half. Danish Farooq brought the Kerala Blasters FC back into the game with a late goal but in the end, it was only a consolation. With this win, the Red and Golds have also snapped their three-game losing streak in the current campaign.

The visitors had the lion’s share of possession in the initial exchanges of the game whereas the Red & Golds waited for their opportunity to pounce on the counter-attacks. The Blasters were pretty one-dimensional with their reliance on Noah Sadaoui on the right flank and the hosts took advantage of this pattern.