Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: 2 Southern arch-rivals share spoils in the enticing ISL 2022-23 encounter

Chennaiyin FC's Vincy Barretto scored against his former side Kerala Blasters FC to wipe out Sahal Abdul Samad's first-half strike as both Southern ISL arch-rivals settled for a 1-1 draw at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday, December 19.

The main taking point from the build-up to the intense encounter was the benching of the last game's hat-trick hero, Abdenasser El Khayati. Yet, Chennai seemingly started the game on the front foot. Thomas Brdaric's men were proactive on the ball and created a few half-chances in the opening exchanges.

However, in the 23rd minute, aided by a failing attempt from Chennaiyin to play a high line, the visitors broke the deadlock through Sahal Abdul Samad. Ivan Kalyuzhny made a blistering run from deep before playing a no-look pass to feed Sahal. The mercurial midfielder spotted CFC custodian Debjit Majumder rushing out of his line and chipped above him with the utmost composure.

Chennaiyin were left stunned and Kerala had just taken the upper hand, out of nowhere. Minutes later, the Blasters yet again came close to breaching the opposition's defense when Sahal put a searching through ball for Dimitrios Diamantakos. But the veteran Chennayin keeper read the ball well and collected it comfortably.

Despite being a resilient opposition to KBFC in the first 45 minutes, Chennaiyin FC went into the half-time break a goal behind.

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Vincy Barretto gives Chennaiyin FC life in the second half against Kerala Blasters FC

After a strong start in the first half, Chennaiyin FC digressed after conceding the opening goal. Hence, in search of a reaction from his players, Thomas Brdaric made a substitution. He brought on Rahim Ali to replace Prasanth K right after the break.

The former Mohun Bagan forward almost immediately made an impact. In the 48th minute, Edwin Vanspaul sent in a superb cross from the right to Rahim, who struck a stunning half-volley towards the goal. But Prabhsukhan Singh Gill was up to the task and made a crucial save, only for the rebound to fall for Vincy Barretto. The 23-year-old winger reacted fastest to stab the ball home against his former club and restore parity in the game.

With the scores leveled, the match was also well-balanced with either team wary of conceding. But both teams had a few throws of dice left. Sending the Chennaiyin FC crowd into a frenzy, Brdaric threw El Khayati into the mix.

Although both sides made heavy substitutions to switch the game in their favor, nothing separated the two Southern rivals as the referee blew the final whistle. Kerala's winless run at the Marina Arena continued as their five-match victory streak came to an end.

The draw puts Kerala in the fourth spot, while the Tamil Nadu-based side are still lingering in the seventh spot.