Kerala Blasters jumped to the third spot after securing a narrow 1-0 win over SC East Bengal in an ISL VIII match at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Monday.

Kerala Blasters reached the third position from sixth, thanks to the solitary goal by Enes Sipovic (49th) who scored the winner for the Kochi side with a towering header.

As for battered SC East Bengal, the winless run extends to five matches.

A measured approach from both teams saw less clear scoring chances in the early stages. Alvaro Vazquez was the first to hit the target for Kerala Blasters with a diving header which was easily saved by Sankar Roy between the sticks.

The SC East Bengal goalkeeper was quite busy in the remainder of the first half as well and commanded his area expertly to deny a goal to Blasters. The second half began on a sensational note for Blasters as they went into the lead courtesy of Enes Sipovic.

Four minutes into the second half, he connected well with a corner and guided the header past the goalkeeper to score his first goal in the ISL. Ivan Vukomanovic’s men continued to push for another goal after getting their noses in front. Jorge Diaz made room for himself in the 68th minute mark but had his shot saved easily by Roy.

Immediately on the other end, Antonio Perosevic unleashed a volley that almost caught Prabhsukhan Gill off-guard but did not lead to a goal. Mario Rivera made a whole host of changes post the second water break in order to inspire his team to find an equaliser.

Hira Mondal received a late yellow card but could have gotten a red due to the nature of his tackle on Adrian Luna.