Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters | ISL 2022-23: Kerala’s five-match winning streak has ended with Vincy Barreto’s stunning strike against Chennaiyin FC. Read the Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters FC Highlights in detail.
Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters Highlights
Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters | ISL 2022-23
At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday in Chennai, a hard-fought 1-1 draw between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters FC signaled the end of the latter’s five-game winning streak in the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23).
Vincy Barreto recorded against his former team in the 2nd half to tie the score after Sahal had given the Blasters the lead in the first.
Last week, Abdenasser El Khayati benched in favor of Sourav Das despite contributing to five of the seven goals against NorthEast United FC. Vafa Hakhamaneshi got up to fill the vacant foreigner spot after Gurmukh Singh sat down on the bench. The other alterations replaced Mohammad Rafique and Rahim Ali with Ajith Kumar & Barretto.
Within the opening minute, Adrian Luna tried to lift a free kick over the goalie from the left flank, but Debjit Majumder palmed it over the crossbar. Luna attempted another long-range free-kick after his initial attempt in the first minute.
Once again, a dipping and curving shot from the center of the field was palmed over the crossbar in the 21st minute after being directed straight at the goalkeeper this time.
In the middle of the first half, Kaliuzhnyi spotted Samad running and fired an excellent cross ball in his direction. As Majumder raced off his line to try to close the angle for Samad, 25, Samad skillfully flicked it over the charging goalie to score his third goal of the year.
In the 27th minute, Edwin Vanspaul sent a beautiful cross into the box from the left flank just as Julius Duker was about to score. Still, Nishu Kumar’s vitally important interception header sent the ball away for a corner.
Three minutes into the second half, Ali—the replacement player from halftime—was in the box credit to a pinpoint ball from Vanspaul. The striker’s initial effort has been parried by Prabhsukhan Gill right into Baretto’s path. The midfielder scored a close-range goal against his former team.
In the 81st minute, a substitute named El Khayati shrugged off his defender in midfield and sent the ball to Sliskovic on the right flank. Anirudh Thapa dashed into the penalty area, but Sliskovic mishandled his cross, and the ball flew out for a goal kick. That suggested neither team would generate any noteworthy offensive plays in the game’s final seconds.
The one point puts Kerala Blasters in fourth place, one point ahead of Odisha FC and behind ATK Mohun Bagan on goal differential. The Blasters will host Odisha FC on their home turf on Monday, December 26.
Chennaiyin FC is currently in seventh place and four points away from a playoff spot. They will take a flight to the west coast on December 24, Saturday, to play Mumbai City FC.
.@ChennaiyinFC continued their unbeaten run against @KeralaBlasters in #Chennai 🙌🏻#CFCKBFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball #ChennaiyinFC #KeralaBlasters #ISLRecap pic.twitter.com/C38QdMnF9T
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 20, 2022
The two teams’ solid defensive play ultimately proved to be their downfall
The Marina Arena witnessed a lackluster show during the Southern Derby between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters. Sahal Abdul Samad and Vincy Baretto scored once as the two teams played out a somewhat dull 1-1 draw.
Following a fluid play, Sahal gave Ivan Vukomanovic’s team the lead with a lovely chip over Debjit. The Blasters held the advantage going into halftime, but it vanished three minutes into the second half. Prabsukhan Gill parried Rahim Ali’s fierce half-volley, but Vincy Barretto pounced on the rebound to restore parity for the home team.
Although both sides had opportunities, neither threatened or appeared likely to score the winning goal. As a result, the two teams divided the spoils for the eighth time in the ISL 2022-23. Following are the player rankings from last night’s derby for both teams.