Kerala Blasters FC were definite underdogs heading into their semi-final against table-toppers Chennaiyin FC, having qualified for the knockout stage by the skin of their teeth. But they turned the tables on their more-fancied local rivals in the first leg in front of their home crowd, racing out to a 2-0 lead in the first half. The moment of the match was yet to come, however. After keeping out Chennaiyin for the entire second half, the Blasters rounded off their victory in spectacular fashion in the dying minutes of the game. Kerala boy Sushanth Mathew latched onto a pass on the right wing, cut inside Chennaiyin defender Mikaël Silvestre, and then unleashed an absolute pearler from long range. The ball curled around legendary Italian defender Alessandro Nesta and nestled into the corner of the net to send the Kochi crowd into a frenzy. It would have been a goal-of-the-season contender regardless of the match situation, but the context made it even better. Semi-final, first leg, against their ‘South Indian derby’ rivals – who had beaten Kerala twice in the league phase – and Mathew had added the final touch to an astonishing 3-0 victory.