ISL 2018/19, Kerala Blasters 3-0 Chennaiyin FC: 5 Talking Points - Poplatnik brace ends Kerala's winless streak
Earlier this season, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters played out an insipid 0-0 draw at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. But, it was the Yellow Army who were determined to secure all three points in a one-sided encounter which resulted in a 3-0 victory over their rivals in the Indian Super League.
From minute one, Nelo Vingada's side were on the front foot and utterly dominated the game giving no chance for the Blues to sustain the everlasting pressure throughout the game. When the game was opening up a bit during the first half, Kerala's midfielder Courage Pekuson launched one from the outside of the box which resulted in a save from Karanjit Singh.
However, the Manjappada opened the scoring through their talisman Matej Poplatnik in the 23rd minute, thanks to a howler from Chennaiyin's shot-stopper Karanjit Singh. Seimenlen Doungel squared the ball, but the Blues number 1 tipped the ball over which fell kindly for Poplatnik who then headed the ball in from close range.
The visitors were continuously pushing for an equalizer during the second half, but they were caught on the break when their recent signing Chris Herd pulled his hamstring and struggled to get off the pitch. It was excellently capitalized and the hosts found the back of the net through the same man yet again. Sahal Abdul Samad put in a great shift was rewarded with a goal nineteen minutes before the full-time whistle.
Let us look at the five talking points from the game.
#1 Karanjit Singh is Chennaiyin's weakest list currently, gets exposed again
Chennaiyin FC tried to fix their conundrum by adding some new faces to their squad, but their goalkeeper has been the biggest letdown since the start of the season. It is no doubt that Karanjit Singh was performing above expectations last campaign when he was trained by Tony Warner.
But, he has struggled to find his feet this season. He has never looked assured when it comes to handling the ball. During the first goal, Kerala's No.9 Doungel rounded the ball, but the shot-stopper made a big fuss out of it by squandering which fell gracefully for Matej Poplatnik.
Even though he did not commit any other mistake after that, his presence at the back could reduce the confidence for the outfield players whose hard work gets nullified.
#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.
#3 Jeje Lalpekhlua isolates himself
Jeje Lalpekhlua's poor form continues this season. The Indian International failed to find the back of the net and did no favour to himself by finding himself out of positions which in turn made life easier for the Kerala Blasters defenders.
When Chennaiyin were in search of an equalizer, Gregory Nelson made an excellent run to find Jeje. But, the striker's shot was parried away from close range by the young Dheeraj Singh who looked confident with his feet and handling. Other than this shot, Jeje was absolutely woeful throughout the game and failed to link up with the midfielders.
Whenever Gregory Nelson and Francis Fernandes were out of options, Jeje did not try to bail them out by providing his helping hand. Instead, he stood and waited for the ball to arrive at his feet. CK Vineeth squared an excellent ball, but Jeje failed to read and watched the ball getting collected by the goalkeeper behind the centre-backs.
John Gregory, who puts immense faith on the striker will surely put across a point or two to Chennaiyin's number 12.
#4 Sahal Abdul Samad's dominance overshadows Chennaiyin's midfield
There was a loud cheer at the consortium when the local lad Sahal Abdul Samad's name was heard once again this season. The 21-year-old midfielder has been one of the best performers for Kerala Blasters this season and did no harm to his reputation by putting in another exemplary performance against the arch-rivals Chennaiyin FC.
He was the best midfielder for the Blasters and ran the show by doing his duty both on the defensive and offensive end. Even though it was a tough task to compete against the likes of Raphael Augusto and Anirudh Thapa, his fine passing and ability to rely on press resistance were the major factors that helped Kerala in attacking the opponents on counter-attack.
For his excellent display, he got rewarded with a goal in the second half. Even though it came off an opponent without his knowledge, Sahal's long bursting run was the reason for a simple tap in from five yards out.
#5 Anas and Jhingan defended the set pieces well
Anas Edathodika and Sandesh Jhingan had very little to do in the open play because of the lack of incisiveness from Chennaiyin in the final third. Jeje Lalpekhlua was completely isolated, Francis Fernandes looked lost and Gregory Nelson was the only one trying to create something, but he was outnumbered by Kerala's midfield and defence.
Chennaiyin, who had scored 16 goals through set pieces last season and 37% of goals this campaign through set pieces were always looking to offer a major threat through that department. On the other hand, Kerala have conceded the most from set pieces this term which was a worrying concern for Nelo Vingada.
Albeit all these stats, Sandesh Jhingan and Anas stood out of the rest to protect their side from these situations. The centre-backs always stood in the front of the opponents to block them and head the ball away before it was too late. Chennaiyin took 8 corners throughout the game, but none of them was troublesome to the hosts who dealt with it perfectly.
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Raunak J