Vibin and Korou set up early goal as Kerala Blasters beat Inter Kashi 2-0 in Pune

Inter Kashi FC and Kerala Blasters FC met at Balewadi Stadium in Pune on Sunday in an Indian Super League 2026-27 fixture, with Kerala winning 2-0 courtesy of Vibin’s 18th-minute finish and Andre Green’s 90+3 strike.

ISL action returned to Pune after seven years for the match, which featured two sides with limited pre-season preparation: Kerala had trained for about a week while Inter Kashi managed just two sessions. The visitors threatened from the start and scored through a well-worked move, while Inter Kashi grew into the game and dominated stretches after half-time without finding the equaliser. A crowd of 3,500 attended Balewadi Stadium, with travelling Kerala supporters forming the majority.

Korou reached the byline and delivered the cutback that allowed an unmarked Vibin to slot home in the 18th minute, with the hosts able to cite a potential foul in the build-up. Albino Gomes made an important early save, stood tall at his near post and otherwise remained composed in his box, but could do little about either goal. As the first half progressed Inter Kashi created chances through the combination of captain Sumit Passi and Manvir Singh.

Defensive lapses contributed to Kerala’s late winner: Chandan put his head in to block an effort earlier but lost a duel with Momo Yansan in the move that led to the second goal. Chowdhary had largely kept Kerala at bay until the 93rd minute but failed to intercept Sanan’s through ball and went down with a cramp immediately afterwards. Aritra struggled in the first half against Korou, shared responsibility for allowing the byline run that led to the opener and was replaced shortly after the hour mark, while Laldinliana began tentatively and was taken off in the 66th minute.

In midfield and attack for Inter Kashi, Wayne occupied the base of the three-man midfield and provided cover for the defence, while Jitendra found pockets of space and tested the goalkeeper with a long-range effort. Carlos Vaz Pinto described Hitesh as a ‘9.5’, and the player’s movement between the lines, energy and link-up play earned positive notes in the report. Rosenberg was lively on the left flank, making darting runs, and Sumit Passi started wide on the right, linking well with Manvir before moving to right-back after substitutions.

Manvir Singh led the line, held up the ball and combined with Passi until he was replaced in the 66th minute; his replacement nearly scored within four minutes of coming on and was praised by Pinto for adapting away from his preferred wide position, the report noting he is a former NorthEast United FC winger. Thoi produced brief promising moments late in the contest, a substitute who came on for Laldinliana added solidity while getting up and down the flank, and other late introductions had limited time to influence proceedings.

For Kerala, Sanan’s through ball in stoppage time released Andre Green, who finished in the 90+3 minute to seal all three points for the visitors. Korou’s assist came after he reached the byline, and the report identifies him as an India U-23 international involved in the opener. The Blasters continued to press for a second goal after the break and were rewarded in stoppage time.

The 2-0 result handed Kerala Blasters all three points in their ISL 2026-27 opener and denied Inter Kashi a home comeback after their second-half pressure; the win leaves Kerala with a victory from their first match of the season.