ISL 2017: Who said what after CK Vineeth secured a last-minute draw against Chennaiyin FC

In a thrilling Southern Derby, Kerala Blasters earned a memorable draw at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai via a last-minute strike from CK Vineeth, after Mihelic had put Chennaiyin FC in front through a penalty late in regulation time.

This is the third draw for the Blasters is ISL 2017, but it is one that will be remembered more for the penalty which was awarded for a handball by Jhingan. Video replays, however, showed that the ball had struck the centreback on the armpit.

On that note, we take a look at who had what to say after the match.

CK Vineeth, Kerala Blasters:

We should have won. We had a lot of chances – Jacki had one, I had one. I don’t think they made a lot of chances like that. Not (satisfied with the result) at all). We should have won. If we had converted the chances we got, it was an easy win. They played well in the first half. They created more chances. In the second half, I think we became organized. I don’t think my finishing is fine. We missed a few chances. We should convert them, otherwise, we won't be able to go to the playoffs.

Anirudh Thapa, Chennaiyin FC:

It was a good match, but we needed to play till the 90th minuted. It was a draw, but it was a pretty good match. (I did well) Because of my teammates. They played me the balls. I would thank my teammates and coaches for trusting me. We need to finish our chances and put the balls in early. If we get an early goal, we can do better. The buildup was working for us. As you can see, the players are healthy and strong. We played well in the flow. We will make the same passes and go forward.

Rene Meulensteen, Kerala Blasters head coach:

It would have been very harsh to have walked away with empty hands here. Some of the managers are complaining about the standard of refereeing, but they really need to sort that out. Rino is a really good modern fullback. I have to see how bad his injury is, and we’ll see. That’s the beautiful side of football. The emotion, the excitement in the game that our fans bring in. I think we deserved it. I couldn’t see it from where I was so I had to go to third parties to check it. Spoke to Sandesh myself, and he said that it wasn’t. it was probably because his arms were in the air. I think it was a bit harsh.

Here are some other reactions…