ISL final: Kerala Blasters go down with their heads held high

Kerala Blasters may have gone down in the ISL final against Hyderabad FC but there is no doubt that Ivan Vukomanovic's side have won the hearts of footballs fans of Kerala. The start of the 2021-22 season did not make for good reading for Kerala Blasters. Hoping to put on a good show after years of obscurity, Blasters were instead blown away by ATK Mohun Bagan in a 2-4 defeat in the curtain-raiser and the expectations came crashing down swiftly. But that debacle proved to be the nudge that Vukomanovic and his players needed. The team went on a 10-match unbeaten run - beginning on November 25 with their second outing and going past the New Year into January - that set the tone for their impressive season.

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While Hyderabad won the trophy in their first final appearance, this is Blasters' third defeat in an ISL final and their second in a shootout as their wait continues. Blasters' injured attacker Sahal Abdul Samad failed to recover in time while Adrian Luna started by shrugging off a slight knock.

That streak included crushing 3-0 victories against last season's champions Mumbai City and Chennaiyin FC as well as a 1-0 defeat of their final opponents Hyderabad FC that propelled them to the top of the ISL table for the very first time since the inaugural 2014 season. Their attacking trio of Adrian Luna, Alvaro Vazquez and Jorge Pereyra Diaz played a key role in blasting Vukomanovic's side to the summit. While Diaz turned blood into sweat on the field, Vazquez managed to turn even half-chances into goals. Luna, meanwhile, was there to provide them with quality supply and score a few himself. Kerala's very own Sahal Abdul Samad also stepped up around the