ISL Match Result: Kerala Blasters Beat Mohun Bagan 1-0; Dimitrios Diamanatakos Early Strike Seals Win

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ISL Match Result: Kerala Blasters took the sole lead of the ISL 2023-24 Points table on Wednesday (December 27) as they defeated Mohun Bagan Super Giants 1-0 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The loss for the hosts is third on the go as they fall to fifth place on the points table.

Dimitrios Diamantakos scored the winning goal as early as the ninth minute of the match following a shoddy defensive show by Mohun Bagan after being put under pressure early on by the visitors. Mohun Bagan never came close to scoring as they had just one shot on target in the game.

The result may not accurately reflect the advantage Kerala Blasters FC had throughout the match, as their explosive combo of Kwame Peprah and Diamantakos consistently caused problems for the Mariners' defense. They did all in their power to win, from going straight through long balls to the two forwards collaborating and getting past the defense of the home club.

In the fourth minute, Diamantakos pulled down a cross by Pritam Kotal and blasted it just above Vishal Kaith, missing the mark by a matter of inches. But it was a precursor of things to come, as the Greek forward won this game with one of his best individual performances of the year.

Diamantakos quickly collected Peprah's rebounding long-range drive before cutting into the area and evading Asish Rai and Hector Yuste to hammer the ball into the back of the net with his left foot at a tight angle.

With seven goals in all, Diamantakos overcame Jorge Pereyra Diaz to become the league's top scorer, and the goal got the visitors up and dancing. With ease, Peprah moved across the Mariners' back line. A little while later, he attempted a similar shot from the same angle as Diamantakos, but it was unsuccessful.

Rahul KP, their opponent from home, was also not going to be left behind. Rahul received the ball from Mohammed Azhar on the right side of the box, and although he probably should have scored easily, the striker hammered it off goal.

It reaffirmed the visitors' complete dominance throughout the contest. Despite having a talented frontline at their disposal, MBSG was unable to generate many opportunities. A little after the hour, Hugo Boumous showed off his quick feet to slip past Danish Farooq and curl in a cross for Armando Sadiku.

The Albanians, though, were unable to exert enough force on the shot to secure the equalizer. As the Mariners depended on Dimitrios Petratos to pull off the impossible once more with the set-piece, Vishal Kaith maintained his composure to keep the score tied even in the second half's additional time. However, the striker was unable to send the ball past the Kerala Blasters FC defense wall in the type of game that was played for the home team.