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The South Indian Derby had all to play for as both Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin FC are vying for a spot in the Playoffs. A loss for Chennaiyin would have put them under pressure, while a win for Kerala Blasters would have taken them to the 4th place in this year's ISL and that is what made the tie so important, as it had much more than just pride or bragging rights to play for.
The match started off on a bright note for the home side Kerala Blasters as they seemed to do all the attacking, Chennaiyin though were happy to soak up the pressure and hit them on the counter. The first half ended with the scoreboard reading 0-0.
The second half was an exciting affair with an end to end action and a saved penalty but in the end, the scoreline read 0-0 in what was a game for the Goalkeepers. This result means that Kerala still has mathematical chances of making it to the playoffs.
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On that note, lets take a look at the player ratings of today.
Kerala Blasters
Paul Rachubka (8/10): Rachubka pulled off a stunning fingertip save in the dying moments of the game to help Kerala get a one of the game. Rachubka didn’t have much to do like Karanjit, but whenever he was called upon he looked up to the task and he pulled off some stunning saves.
Rino Anto (6/10): Rino had problems keeping the likes of Mihelic under check, and was often beaten. He also didn’t venture forward much, and his crosses were way below par.
Sandesh Jhingan (7/10): Jhingan was solid again for Kerala as he helped Kerala keep a clean sheet. He made one stunning block from the Raphael Agusto shot and also made numerous clearances.
Wes Brown (7/10): Wes Brown looked composed in defense and kept Jeje under close vigil. He completed nearly all his passes and was brilliant in helping Kerala build up plays from the back.
Lalruatthara (8/10): Lalruatthara was brilliant today, he was the main reason why Nelson couldn’t trouble the Kerala defense much. He also ventured forward well and helped out Vineeth in attack. He also made a high number of clearances and saw a lot of the ball.
Milan Singh (6/10): Milan was busy throughout the game trying to keep the likes of Raphael and Mihelic quiet. Milan put in some very important tackles and had a good number of interceptions to his name too.
CK Vineeth (5.5/10): Vineeth hit the post in the first half from a Berbatov pass, and miscued two rebounds that fell likely for the Kerala forward. He couldn’t do much from the flanks today and looked to cut into the center in search of openings.
Courage Pekuson (6/10): Missed a penalty, and was a shade below his usual self. He did run a lot but failed to create chances for his attackers, and only managed to create one-half chance.
Jackichand Singh (6.5/10): Jackichand worked hard and moved up and down and also shifted to the other flank, but his deliveries were poor, his crosses and freekicks were below par.
Berbatov (6/10): Calm and Composed on the ball, the Bulgarian looked unfazed by the occasion went about doing his job in a calm cool manner. He had a brilliant shot on goal, only to see it headed away by Dhanpal Ganesh. He also worked hard defensively making some impressive interceptions.
Gudjon Baldvinsson (7/10): Worked really hard and had two brilliant shots saved by Karanjit. His hold up play and movement was also really good. His performance today also earned him praise from his head coach David James.
Chennaiyin FC
Karanjit Singh (9/10): Saved a penalty, and pulled off some stunning saves and surely was the main reason who kept Chennaiyin in the game. His saves from two of Baldvinsson shots and from a Vineeth shot were really world class.
Keenan Almeida (6/10): Keenan had some problems keeping the likes of Vineeth and Ruatthara. He looked to have problems coping with the pace of the Kerala wingers. He did though do a good job in keeping the ball and completing most of his passes
Inigo Calderon (6/10): Calderon played as a CB today as Mailson was suspended today. He did look a bit out of position, as he left some gaps in the defense which was exploited by the likes of Baldvinsson and Vineeth. His overlapping runs down the flanks were missed today.
Henrique Sereno (8/10): Sereno was solid in defense for Chennaiyin. He made some crucial blocks and Interceptions and his positioning was also very good today. The number of clearances that he made was also very high and was often seen as being the last man to clear the lines for Chennaiyin. He acted as the perfect leader.
Jerry Lalrinzuala (7/10): Jerry was courageous and went lunging in for every ball, he did give away the penalty but wasn’t made to pay as Pekuson’s shot was saved by Karanjit. He was also good in attack and went forward and helped Mihelic down the flanks. Jerry was crucial in keeping Jackie quiet.
Bikramjit Singh (6/10): Bikramjit had his hands full, trying to keep Pekuson and Berbatov quiet. He covered a lot of ground and did his box to box duties quite well, but his shots were really poor as he had two good chances but failed to test the keeper.
Dhanpal Ganesh (7/10): Was a big presence in the middle of the park, as he acted as the bulldozer whose job was to break down the Kerala attacks mainly by using his physical presence. He also did a good job to slow down the pace of the game and distribute balls.
Rene Mihelic (7/10): Mihelic started on the flanks but more often than not, he tend to cut in from the flanks and create openings through the middle. He was good with the ball and created some good chances for his teammates. He also looked dangerous with the ball at his feet and his set pieces were a real threat for Kerala. Mihelic played an absolute peach of a pass for Jeje only to see the Mizo sniper make a hash of it.
Raphael Augusto (8/10): Was the player who had most touches for Chennai in the first half, he always looked to create openings and slice open the Kerala defense, but lacked the required support. He did show some exquisite skills.
Gregory Nelson (7.5/10): He tried to showboat whenever he had the ball at his feet but wasn’t much effective in attack, he had few touches of the ball and his passing was also poor with a pass success rate of around just 55%. He did hit the post in the dying moments of the match.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (5/10): Jeje was largely quiet during the first half and hardly had touches during the first half but had a brilliant chance in the closing stages of the first half but he missed the mark. He was also subdued in the second half.
