ISL 2026-27: Kerala Blasters shares spoils with Mumbai City in front of sold-out crowd in Kochi

Kerala Blasters' Adrian Luna (left) and Mumbai City's Farukh Choudhary vie for the ball during their ISL 2026-27 match in Kochi. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium turned yellow once again, and after a long, long time.

The Yellow Army was back in full strength for Kerala Blasters’ opening home fixture of the Indian Super League (ISL) season on Sunday night. The fans began making noise long before the match against Mumbai City FC started. And they got louder, and louder.

All that must have been music to the ears of the Blasters men out on the field; they hadn’t played before a crowd like that for any match last season. The match was a fascinating one, too. Sadly, it didn’t produce even a single goal.

AS IT HAPPENED: Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City Highlights

A combination of solid defending, some splendid saves by the goalkeepers and some inept finishing ensured the match ended in a goalless draw. After the crushing 1-4 defeat to NorthEast United in the last match, coach Ashley Westwood must have been hoping for a win at home for the Blasters.

But it was his counterpart, Manolo Marquez, who would have been the happier of the two to take a point.

The host had an excellent chance to take the lead as early as the fifth minute. A fine cross from the left flank by Mohammed Sanan, whose pace beat the Mumbai defence, found Adrian Luna. The Uruguayan’s diving header, though, went wide.

Such misses would continue to be the recurring theme of the night. The well-orchestrated attacks from either team would never get the desired ending. Credit is also due to the men under the bar — Blasters’ Amrinder Singh and Mumbai City’s T.P. Rehenesh.