Mohammed Aimen, left, of Kerala Blasters FC and Jon Toral of Mumbai City FC vie for the ball during their Indian Super League match. Photo: PTI Mohammed Aimen, left, of Kerala Blasters FC and Jon Toral of Mumbai City FC vie for the ball during their Indian Super League match. Photo: PTI

Kwame Peprah scored from a tight angle as Kerala Blasters FC edged past Mumbai City FC 1-0 in an Indian Super League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday. (Highlights | More Football News)cucapg

The Islanders, at 33 points tied with Odisha FC, needed just a point to qualify for the playoffs, but will now take their hunt for a top-six place to Bengaluru when they face the Blues on March 11.

It was a quiet first half with both the teams cancelling each other out in the midfield.

The second half saw Peprah score a goal from a tight angle and it was enough for the the home side to secure three points. This is their first home victory this season since January 13, when they defeated Odisha FC 3-2.

It started as a pretty open game, with both the teams looking to fight it out in the midfield.

However, the first opportunity came to Lallianzuala Chhangte in the 10th minute when he took an audacious attempt from outside the box and rattled the post. Although he didn't score, it was a wake-up call from the hosts.

Despite the early scare, Kerala Blasters pushed forward, and they almost had the lead when Korou Singh found Ishan Pandita in the box with a pinpoint cross from the right flank.

However, the forward failed to make any connection from close range. Pandita was completely unmarked but couldn't properly position himself to slot it home.

In the 17th minute, Milos Drincic had a similar opportunity,66br this time from a free-kick. Adrian Luna sprayed the ball wide to Aibanbha Dohling from a freekick and the defender delivered a telling cross in the box. Drincic attacked the ball but his header was straight at Phurba Lachenpa, who pulled off a great save.

Kerala Blasters started the second half in a hurry, and their persistence paid dividends when Peprah hammered it home from a tight angle, leaving Thaer Krouma and Lachenpa completely astounded. He handed the lead to the hosts in the 52nd minute.

In the 60th minute, Brandon Fernandes found Vikram Partap Singh in the box with an excellent free-kick. However, the latter's header was well-defended by the home team. A couple of minutes later, Peprah had another identical opportunity, this time on the left side of the goal, but this time he failed to hit the target.

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The visitors almost restored parity in the 74th minute when Brandon found Chhangte in a pocket of space and the Mumbai City skipper pulled the trigger but eventually, it was a whisker away from the goal.

In the 77th minute, the hosts had an opportunity to extend their lead when Mohammed Aimen skipped past his marker on the left flank and had acres of space. He drove into the box and forced Lachenpa with a vicious effort. There was a chance on the rebound but Krouma cleared it away to safety.

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Mumbai City's best chance of the game came in stoppage time when Vikram's goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by substitute Bikash Yumnam. With that chancecucapg, the Islanders left it too late, suffering their sixth defeat of the season.