Kerala Blasters FC finally hit top gear, scoring three goals without reply at home against top seeded Chennaiyin FC in the first semi-final of the Hero Indian Super League. While the hosts were very much in control after taking a 2-0 lead, their task of playing away to Chennai was made easier by a stunning long range effort from Sushanth Mathew in the dying minutes of the game.The versatile player described his effort as something straight out of a footballer’s dream when indiansuperleague.com caught up with him after the match. “It’s like a dream come true, I’ve been dreaming of scoring this goal,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of legends score like this; so I have been practicing this goal in training and I’m really sure about my left foot and I knew that it was going to be a goal!”The local boy from Wayanad district in Kerala, who came in as a substitute for Ishfaq Ahmed, was thrilled to record his feat in front of 60,000 home fans in a crunch match: “We were doing more than 100 per cent of what we were supposed to do because of this crowd. We know that they will support us no matter what so when the goal came I was thinking, this is a semi-final, this is the last match in Kochi and this is my home. Kerala is my home so I really wanted a goal. I missed a good chance in the previous games so it feels great!”Mathew, who has played for some of the leading clubs in India like Mahindra United, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, dedicated this goal to his well-wishers, saying, “Yes it is a gift to the fans, my family, my team mates, the management, everyone.”While many people are predicting a backlash when Kerala travel to Chennai for the second leg, the 33-year-old player said he expects his team to maintain their form and momentum going into the second leg fixture. “Chennaiyin FC are a really good team, but leading 3-0 at home is a really good advantage going into the second leg because now we can play our normal game. If we had conceded a goal or played out a goalless draw, then it would have been very difficult for us,” he maintained.
