The battle between the two South Indian clubs, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters, ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday. It's the time of the year when there are crackers on the street, but there weren't fireworks on the pitch when the two rivals went head-to-head.
A game of two halves, Chennaiyin FC, playing at home, had chances in the first half but couldn't take advantage of it. Kerala Blasters turned the tables and were dominant in the second half. Bernard Mendy came the closest for Chennai, while Kervens Belfort came the closest for Kerala, but in the end, both teams had to go home with just one point each.
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Here are the player ratings for the game.
Chennaiyin FC
Karanjit Singh - 6/10
The Indian goalkeeper had very little to do in the first half but was called into action late in the game. There were three shots on target for Kerala and Karanjit did well to stop all three. The 30-year-old didn't have much to do other than that.
Mehrajuddin Wadoo - 5/10
Wadoo has been a very important player in the Chennai defence so far but against Kerala, the 32-year-old struggled. The right back found it difficult to handle Belfort's pace and dribbling and the Haitian forward got the better of the Chennai player several times in the game. However, Wadoo made sure that he didn't make any costly errors.
Eli Sabia - 6/10
Sabia has been a very solid player for the defending champions since he came into the starting eleven and Saturday was no different. Though the Brazilian had nothing difficult to do, he made sure that the opponent attackers didn't find any space and made things difficult for them.
Bernard Mendy - 8/10
Mendy was Chennai's best player on the night. The French centre-back was solid at the back and also came the closest to scoring for the home side. Mendy was very strong in the air and didn't give any space for the Kerala attackers. The Chennai captain looked like he wanted to inspire his team to win the game by initiating a few attacks from the back. The 35-year-old almost made a costly error by giving away the possession to Kerala in a dangerous position instead of kicking the ball out.
Jerry Lalrinzuala - 6/10
The maturity that the 18-year-old is showing is growing game by game. Jerry did very well to keep Kerala's Mohammed Rafique at bay and also helped Chennai in their attacks. Striker Mohammed Rafi also found it difficult to beat the youngster.
Hans Mulder - 6/10
The Dutchman had to be substituted in the first half after sustaining an injury. Chennai faded away after Mulder leaving the field and his importance was evident after that.
Siam Hanghal - 5/10
The Indian midfielder tried to make things happen but nothing quite worked for him. The 23-year-old hit two shots from outside the box but either of them didn't test the goalkeeper at all. Hanghal's passes were also not clinical on the night and he gave away possession a few times.
Raphael Augusto - 7/10
Augusto was the only Chennai player who looked like he could make a difference. The Brazilian did well against the Kerala midfield and even got past the opposition with ease several times. However, his final ball was poor on the night. The 25-year-old was also quiet in the second half.
Baljit Sahni - 5/10
Sahni didn't have any kind of impact on the game and the 29-year-old was disappointing on the night.
Davide Succi - 6/10
Another Chennai player who looked like someone who could make a breakthrough, the Italian caused real problems for Kerala's centre back pairing of Cedric Hengbart and Aaron Hughes. Succi got a few half chances but was not able to capitalise on it.
Dudu Omagbemi - 5/10
The Nigerian was quiet and he did not get much of the ball and neither did he try to get it. Playing both Succi and Dudu might have been a mistake by Materazzi.
Substitutes
Manuele Blasi - 5/10
The Italian came on for the injured Mulder in the first half but was not able to create the same chances as the Dutchman midfielder. His passes were not accurate and couldn't make much impact on the game. Overall, Blasi had quite a bad game.
Maurizio Peluso - 5/10
The Italian's pace gave Chennai an extra spark. Peluso could have been very dangerous if he had done better with the ball at his feet but he didn't.
Jeje Lalpekhlua - N/A
The Indian striker came in too late to make any impact.
Kerala Blasters
Sandip Nandy - 6/10
Chennaiyin FC had only one shot on target and that was the only time when the Indian goalkeeper was called into action. Nandy had a very easy game.
Sandesh Jhingan - 5/10
Jhingan was not up to his usual standards against Chennai. The centre-back, who is currently playing at right back, was good defensively but didn't contribute much in attack. His crosses were not accurate and at times his tackles were rusty.
Cedric Hengbart - 8/10
The French defender was arguably the best player of the game. Hengbart was solid at the back for Kerala Blasters. Dominant in the air and also making some key interceptions, the 36-year-old made things very difficult for the Chennai attackers.
Aaron Hughes - 7/10
The Kerala marquee player also put in a top performance. Chennai's Succi was difficult to handle but the 36-year-old did well to keep the Italian at bay. Hughes was forced to be substituted after sustaining a hamstring injury. Kerala will be hoping that injury is not serious.
Josu Currais - 5/10
The Spaniard's best contribution in the game was a cross that he put in for Belfort, which the Haitian headed wide. Josu also tried a volley from the edge of the box which went above the post. Other than that, the 23-year-old was quiet on the night.
Mohammed Rafique - 5/10
Raifque had a very poor against Chennai. He gave away the ball several times, crosses were not on point and his passes were miscued. The Indian midfielder even found it tough to get past 18-year-old Jerry on the right wing.
Mehtab Hossain - 6/10
The midfielder had a quiet game and was not much influential. Hossain made sure that the Chennai midfielders didn't get past him easily, but the 31-year-old didn't have much of an impact on the team's attack.
Azrack Mahamat - 6.5
The 28-year-old is probably the most underrated player in the Kerala squad and his work rate in midfield goes unnoticed most of the time. The Chad international won back the ball several times for his team and his short passes were also good.
Mohammed Rafi - 5/10
Another player who didn't have any impact on the game, Rafi was almost invisible throughout the game. The 34-year-old found it difficult to get past the Chennai defence and his only recognisable contribution in the game was the chance he created for Belfort.
Michael Chopra - 5/10
The 32-year-old striker was not able to do much with the ball at his feet because of his lack of pace. Even though the former Newcastle player wanted to make an impact on the game, he got closed down by Chennai players quickly.
Kervens Belfort - 6/10
The Haitian forward got Kerala's best chances of the game but couldn't find the back of the net. The 24-year-old looked dangerous in the second half but he either got closed down or his final ball was lacking. Belfort should have won it for Kerala by capitalising on one of the chances he got. The player got involved in a fight that took place at the end of the game.
Substitutes
Pratik Chowdhary - 5/10
The Indian defender came on for the injured Aaron Hughes. The 27-year-old had to keep Chennai's Peluso quiet and the Italian winger's pace was too much to handle for Chowdhary.
Boris Kadio - 6/10
The Ivorian was introduced in place of Michael Chopra. Kadio brought in some creativity and pace to the Kerala team and created lot of problems to the Chennai defence.
Duckens Nazon - 6.5/10
Nazon had a very similar game to Kadio. His introduction saw some more creativity in the Kerala side. The Haitian forward got a couple of half chances but was not able to capitalise on them.
