[Kerala Blasters Reserves team photo ahead of the clash against Indian Navy]
Picture Credit: Kerala Blasters Media
Kerala Blasters [R] are through to the semi-finals from Group A; RFC Kochi, SAT Tirur and Indian Navy are all in contention for the second semi spot from Group A; Group B semi-finalists are Gokulam Kerala FC and FC Kerala.
GROUP A
FC Thrissur vs Indian Navy match cancelled
Group A, 16 April 2019, Thrissur: FC Thrissur vs Indian Navy
FC Thrissur have opted out of the Kerala Premier League citing financial burden due to the arbid scheduling of the league by the Kerala FA.
Indian Navy begin their league campaign
Group A, 18 April 2019, Tirur: Sports Academy Tirur 2-0 Indian Navy
After plenty of false starts and their scheduled first game against FC Thrissur cancelled, Indian Navy’s start to the league campaign ended in defeat.
SAT Tirur took the lead in the 26th minute courtesy Muhammad Nisham. A second goal came in the 90th minute through Shafeeq to keep the home side in the running for a semi-final spot.
Indian Navy register their first win
Group A, 24 April 2019, Kochi: RFC Kochi 0-1 Indian Navy
RFC Kochi have it all to do in their last group league encounter after going down to Indian Navy at the Maharaja’s College Stadium.
The solitary goal which won Indian Navy the game came in the 33rd minute through Riyadh.
FC Kochi’s final game of the group stage will also be against Indian Navy away from home. They will have to win this encounter to go through and keep SAT Tirur and Indian Navy at bay.
Kerala Blasters [R] are through to the semi-finals
Group A, 27 April 2019, Kochi: Kerala Blasters FC Reserves 2-1 Indian Navy
Kerala Blasters are through to the semi-finals of the Kerala Premier League 2018-19 after prevailing over Indian Navy in a keenly contested match in Kochi.
The hosts took the lead in the fourth minute with Satgouthang Konoung getting them in the lead. The Serbian forward Slaviša Stojanović scored in the 27th minute to double the advantage.
Indian Navy pulled a goal back in the 41st minute through Hari Krishna as the teams went into the half-time break.
However, Indian Navy couldn’t further make inroads into the Kerala Blasters’ defence and the match ended in favour of the home team. The Reserves are through to the semi-finals of the Kerala Premier League for the first time.
Group A Table
| pos | team | p | w | d | l | gf | ga | gd | pts |
| 1 | Kerala Blasters [R] | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 10 | |
| 3 | RFC Kochi | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 9 |
| 4 | SAT Tirur | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 7 |
| 5 | Indian Navy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
GROUP B
FC Kerala won their last two fixtures to go through to the semi-final
Group B, 13 April 2019, Thrissur: FC Kerala 2-0 Golden Threads
The prolific Liberian Harry Morris scored a goal in either half (21′, 58′) to get FC Kerala within touching distance of the semi-final play-off spot. The win was vital for FC Kerala to go on par with Shooters United who finished the group stage with 13 points.
Group B, 15 April 2019, Thrissur: FC Kerala 4-2 Kovalam FC
The home side took the lead in the opening minute (Babble S Girish 1′), but they conceded two goals to Kovalam FC in the first half ( Beniston J 9′, Jaison J 24′).
Going into the second half, Kovalam FC looked like they were going to register their first win the league, but an impressive second half comeback by FC Kerala saw them win the match by 4-2. Raju Sohail Haque scored in the 76th to level the scores. Harry Morris got them in the lead in the 86th and Nikhil Raj scored a minute later to secure the semi-final spot.
Most of the FC Kerala players have been selected from open trials and it is commendable what they have achieved this season already. The only team they lost to in the group stage was Gokulam Kerala FC.
Group B Table
| pos | team | p | w | d | l | gf | ga | gd | pts |
| 1 | Gokulam Kerala FC | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 24 |
| 3 | FC Kerala | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 16 |
| 2 | Shooters United | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 13 |
| 4 | Golden Threads FC | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 21 | −12 | 6 |
| 5 | Kovalam FC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 20 | −14 | 0 |
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