ISL 2018/19, Kerala Blasters 3-0 Chennaiyin FC: 5 Talking Points - Poplatnik brace ends Kerala's winless streak

#2 Matej Poplatnik's presence in front of the goal is felt again

Players celebrate after the goal

Matej Poplatnik was clinical in front of the goal and never really missed any chances today. The striker was too hard to handle for the Brazilian counterparts Mailson Alves and Eli Sabia. During the first half, when Karanjit fumbled with the ball, Poplatnik made his presence felt and leapfrogged other defenders to head the ball from close range to open the score for the Blasters.

Moments before the half time, his shot was saved by Karanjit Singh before he found the back of the net for the second time on the day in the second half. Chris Herd's injury meant Kerala broke through a counterattack which resulted in a tap in for Poplatnik.

Throughout the game, he took four shots in which two resulted in a goal and others made the goalkeeper work. He is not the quickest, but his instinctive actions and anticipation make him one of the toughest strikers to play against. With this brace, the Slovenian has now scored 4 goals in this campaign.