Kerala Blasters FC finally ended their 14-match-long winless run in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 with an impressive 3-0 victory over rivals Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Friday. Kerala’s last win came way back in September 29, 2018, when they beat ATK 2-0 in the opening match of the season. It was also their first victory under new head coach Nelo Vingada.

The win took Kerala to the eighth spot in the table with 14 points from 16 matches. Chennaiyin, on the other hand, stayed rooted to the bottom of the standings with just eight points to their name.

  • Matej Poplatnik scored the opening goal of the match on the 23rd minute.
  • Poplatnik struck again on the 55th minute to double Kerala’s lead.
  • Sahal Abdul Samad scored on the 71st minute to make it 3-0 in Kerala’s favour.

After a tight battle for dominance in the opening 10 minutes, the home team created the first big chance of the match. Matej Poplatnik and Slavisa Stojanovic got two bites of the cherry, but Karanjit Singh was vigilant in the Chennaiyin goal and denied both within a matter of seconds.

Minutes later, Poplatnik did manage to beat Karanjit, but the Slovenian's effort came out off the upright. The match was slowly developing a trend and it was the home team who were on the ascendancy.

Chennaiyin had little joy going forward but did have a penalty claim around the 20-minute mark after Gregory Nelson went down inside the Kerala box. The referee, however, deemed the tackle fair and waved off the appeal.

Kerala's dominance ultimately paid off on the 23rd minute after Karanjit failed to deal with Keziron Kizito's low cross and the ball ballooned up in the air. Poplatnik was in the right place at the right time to head the ball into an empty net.

Courage Pekuson, who scored a screamer in the last match against Bengaluru FC, could have added another gem of a goal to his name. The midfielder connected with a sweet volley from just outside the box and it needed a brilliant save from Karanjit to keep the scoreline 1-0.

Jeje Lalpekhlua had a chance to level things up against the flow of the match, but his cheeky flick was comfortably collected by Kerala custodian Dheeraj Singh. The first-half ended with the home team one goal to the good.

Ten minutes after the restart, Poplatnik struck again to double Kerala’s advantage. Following a quick counter-attack, Stojanovic found space down the left and found Poplatnik inside the box. The 26-year-old striker complied and buried his shot into the net. It was the 200th goal of the season from the same player who incidentally also scored the opening goal of Hero ISL 2018-19.

Chennaiyin could have pulled a goal back minutes after going two goals down. Mailson Alves put his laces through the ball from range, but Dheeraj judged the flight of the ball correctly to deny the Chennaiyin captain.

Things only got better for Kerala as local hero Sahal Abdul Samad struck his first-ever goal in the Hero ISL to make it 3-0 on the 71st minute. The youngster himself initiated the counter attack, carried the ball for a good forty yards and eventually ended the move with a well-placed shot past Karanjit.

Chennaiyin created a few half-chances over the next 20 minutes or so, but couldn’t really trouble Dheeraj until the dying moments of the match. Mailson’s brilliant diving header was, however, met by an equally fantastic save by Kerala’s young goalkeeper to ensure a 3-0 win for the home team.

HERO OF THE MATCH – Matej Poplatnik

Matej Poplatnik led Kerala Blasters’ attack with conviction and poise throughout the ninety minutes and was the standout player on the night. He garnished his performance with two splendid goals and bagged the Hero of the Match award.

CLUB AWARDS

Club Award – Kerala Blasters FC

Swift Limitless Player of the Match – Seiminlen Doungel

DHL Winning Pass of the Match – Seiminlen Doungel

ISL Emerging Player of the Match – Sahal Abdul Samad

Hero of the Match – Matej Poplatnik

WHAT’S NEXT?

Kerala Blasters FC will be on the road to play against FC Goa on February 18, while Chennaiyin’s next match will be a home fixture against Jamshedpur FC on February 23.

Watch the match highlights here

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Related tags:

Kerala Blasters FCChennaiyin FC 2018-2019Match Report