Kerala Blasters FC head coach shared displeasure after suffering a 2-4 defeat against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru in the Indian Super League (ISL) in Saturday’s doubleheader.

It was a cracking outing for both teams, with the Southern rivalry heating up through a flurry of goals. Sunil Chhetri’s sublime hat-trick and Ryan Williams's left-footed banger propelled the Blues to extend their unbeaten run at home against the Blasters. Despite the Blasters pulling two goals back and levelling the scoreline in the second half, Bengaluru FC’s defensive line stood strong in the final quarter of the game, thwarting the visitors’ offensive moves.

The Kerala Blasters FC head coach was dissatisfied with the outcome of the game as they succumbed to their sixth defeat of the ongoing season. With that, the Blasters have now conceded 21 goals in the ISL 2024-25 season, their outright highest tally after the first 11 games of a season in the league.

Stahre acknowledged that the Blues were sharper and more clinical in converting their chances in the final third, saying, “Yes, I think they came out a little bit better than us.”

“Not much, but they (BFC) were sharp, and of course, for the first goal, it was a fantastic cross and a great finish. I think that (Sunil) Chhetri was great in this game. A perfect header, and it's just him in the far post, but of course a great goal. That influenced the rest of the first half,” he added.

Chhetri opened the scoring for the hosts with a fantastic headed goal in the eighth minute. The Kerala Blasters FC head coach believed that Chhetri’s opening goal disrupted his players’ mental focus and caused a shift in their concentration.

“I think we were under the stress of that (opening) goal. It was quite an even game in the first half. Then they scored the second goal, and we lost the duel around the midline. Then it was a fantastic finish, actually,” he commented.

The Blasters equalized the scoreline through goals from Jesus Jimenez and Freddy Lallawmawma but couldn’t sustain the momentum in their favor. Stahre praised his players’ fighting spirit and commendable efforts in the second half, despite being 0-2 down in the high-stakes clash.

“Mentally, it was really hard for the players in the halftime. But I must highlight that I'm really proud of the guys. It's not easy. It's a hard away game, playing against a rival, a derby, with 2-0 down,” he said.

From Jimenez’s backheel goal off Noah Sadaoui’s setup to Lallawmawma’s headed equalizer, Stahre’s men clawed their way back, demonstrating a strong response in the second half, only for Chhetri to ultimately take the game away from them. The Swedish head coach expressed pride in his players' never-say-die attitude in the second half.

“I'm really, really proud of how the guys reacted in the second half. We came out, we didn't get stressed, we played in a calm and instructed way,” he remarked.

“We scored 2-1 quite early. We spoke about not rushing anything. When we scored the first goal in the second half, then they would be stressed. That was exactly what happened in the game. We scored 2-2, and I think everyone in this room as well felt that at that moment, the momentum was for KBFC,” the head coach carried on.

“I'm really disappointed with the defeat. I'm really proud of how our team is responding. We are mentally strong. But it's hard to admit that we conceded two easy goals,” Stahre signed off, sharing his displeasure at losing against the Blues.

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Kerala Blasters FCBengaluru FC2024-2025