Page 2 - ISL 2018/19, Kerala Blasters 3-0 Chennaiyin FC: 5 Talking Points - Poplatnik brace ends Kerala's winless streak

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

Modified Feb 16, 2019 10:46 IST

Matej Poplatnik celebrates after scoring

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

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.

About the author

Sudarshan has been covering European and Indian football for Sportskeeda for
around 9 years. An Information Technology graduate and a post-graduate in International Business Operations, he has previously worked with Chennai Super Kings, Chennai City FC and the SunRisers Hyderabad handling their social media for OPN Advertising and Ting Labs. He has also travelled with the SunRisers for around 2 years, shooting content and interviewing stars such as David Warner, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jonny Bairstow.

An ardent Liverpool supporter since 2008, Sudarshan's favorite footballer is Steven Gerrard, who impressed with his unmatched leadership during the Reds' challenging periods. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp as the German's connection with fans and preference for high-intensity football resonates with him. Sudarshan aims to better analyze football matches by relying on websites like FotMob and DataMB and excels in swiftly covering breaking news events.

Mario Gotze's winner in the 2014 final is Sudarshan’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment, and believes that Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham could emerge as the successors to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he enjoys binge-watching movies, learning new skills to enhance his professional development, and participating in marathons.

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Edited by Raunak J