The resounding win at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, Goa, helped them jump to third place in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) table.
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Kerala Blasters FC were at their scintillating best on Wednesday, thumping Chennaiyin FC 3-0. The resounding win at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco, Goa, helped them jump to third place in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) table. Kerala are now level on points with Jamshedpur and only three points shy of table-toppers Mumbai Cty. Notably, the Blasters recorded back-to-back wins in the Hero ISL for the first time since January 2020 as they dominated the match from back to front. Pereyra Diaz (9’) opened the scoring with an early goal before Sahal Abdul Samad (38’) scored for the second game running to make it 2-0. Eventually, Adrian Luna (79′) added a third for the Blasters to complete a convincing win in the southern derby.
With Ivan Vukomanovic and Bozidar Bandovic in the dugouts, the game was a tactical battle from the outset. The Blasters controlled the possession while Chennaiyin sat deep to maintain their solid shape. However, it did not take long for Blasters to find the openings, as they got the breakthrough in the 9th minute when Lalthathanga Khawlhring found Diaz with a clever lofted pass over the defence. The Argentine steadied himself before striking the ball past the goalkeeper to help his team take an early lead.
Undeterred by the early setback, Chennaiyin FC responded well to going behind and started being aggressive in their approach. The Blasters had goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill to thank for, as he maintained their lead in the 24th minute. He saved from point-blank range from Germanpreet Singh who had done well to direct the corner goalwards with a header.
FULL-TIME | #CFCKBFC@KeralaBlasters claim back-to-back wins! ???#HeroISL #LetsFootball | @ChennaiyinFC pic.twitter.com/nXbYmEGnJT
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 22, 2021
The Blasters then had a chance of their own at the other end when Jorge Diaz headed wide following a cross from the right despite being completely unmarked inside the box. On the half-hour mark, Chennaiyin FC squandered a big chance to equalise when Mirlan Murzaev sneaked in behind the Kerala Blasters FC defence to square it to Germanpreet who failed to keep his shot on target with the goal at his mercy. That miss proved costly, as their opponents made them pay for it soon.
At the other end, Kerala Blasters FC doubled their lead in the 39th minute thanks to Sahal’s persistence. He was played in on goal after a poor goal kick from Vishal Kaith fell to a Kerala player. Sahal, who saw his first shot saved, converted on the second attempt.
On the stroke of half-time, the Blasters missed a great chance to solidify their lead when Sahal fed Alvaro Vazquez inside the Blasters half. The striker carried the ball to the box, switched to his right foot but despite being one-on-one with the goalkeeper, all he could do was fire straight at him.
Chennaiyin FC showed better intent in the second half but were not able to create many chances. Deep into the half, the Blasters got all the points in the bag when Luna fired in a third with a stunning strike from the edge of the box eleven minutes from time. As a result of the defeat, Chennaiyin FC dropped to sixth place in the table.
Bandovic’s men face Bengaluru FC next on December 30 in another southern derby. Meanwhile, the Blasters are back in action on Sunday when they take on second-placed Jamshedpur FC.
