Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: Player Ratings for Marina Machans as they crawl back to seal a point

Kerala Blasters FC, even after taking the lead in the first half, were held to a 1-1 draw by Southern arch-rivals Chennaiyin FC in one of the most anticipated matches of ISL 2022-23 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday, December 19.

Almost against the run of play, Sahal Abdul Samad opened the scoring for the visitors after being fed by a no-look pass from Ivan Kalyuzhny.

Chennaiyin FC were left stunned but after the half-time break, Thomas Brdaric's side regrouped and restored parity.

In the 48th minute, after a Rahim Ali volley was parried away by flying Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Vincy Barretto tucked home the rebound for Chennaiyin FC.

Although both sides made heavy substitutions to switch the game in their favor throughout the rest of the half, nothing separated the two southern rivals as the referee blew the final whistle.

On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings for Chennaiyin FC from their stalemate against Kerala Blasters FC:

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Player Ratings for Chennaiyin FC

Debjit Majumder (GK)

His positioning in the lead-up to Sahal Abdul Samad's goal was extremely questionable. Debjit Majumder rushed out of the goalline, making it easier for the Blasters midfielder to break the deadlock. However, he made a few crucial stops later in the game.

Fallou Diagne [7.0]

The Senegalese defender couldn't track Sahal's run in the build-up to Kerala's goal but he didn't do much wrong other than that. He complimented Vafa Hakhamaneshi well and also completed 95 percent of his passes.

Vafa Hakhamaneshi [7.5]

The Iranian centre-back was dragged out of position by Adrian Luna and eventually created space for Sahal to exploit during the opening goal. But since that opening exchange, Vafa was an absolute rock at the back for the Marina Machans.

He made four clearances, one block, and two tackles, alongside boasting a 91 percent pass accuracy.

Ajith Kumar [7.5]

Ajith Kumar was relentless down the right flank and tried to make things happen. On the defensive front, the 26-year-old made two clearances, five tackles, three interceptions, and a block.

Ajith had a whooping 102 touches on the ball, showcasing his involvement in the game.

Aakash Sangwan [6.5]

The left-back wasn't quite at the level of his full-back partner, especially due to his poor passing completion rate of 67 percent. However, defensively he made some crucial contributions.

Vincy Barretto [7.5]

The former Kerala Blasters player scored the equalizer for Chennaiyin FC when he was the quickest to react to a rebound inside the opposition box. Vincy Barretto's first-time finish was brilliant.

Prasanth K [6.0]

The 25-year-old wide player looked extremely poor in possession and had to be subbed off at the half-time break.

Prasanth K was manhandled in the duels and also gave the ball away on eight occasions.

Julius Duker [6.5]

Considering his ability on the ball, the German midfielder wasn't at the top of his game. However, he made contributions at both ends of the pitch with two tackles and a key pass.

Julius Duker also completed 82 percent of his passes.

Sourav Das [7.0]

Sourav Das was solid in covering the middle of the park. He didn't look overwhelmed by the opposition midfielders and was also calm in possession.

Edwin Vanspaul [7.5]

The Tamil Nadu-born midfielder had a cracking game tonight as he played four key passes. He took up advanced positions on the pitch and also had a crucial role to play in the build-up to Vincy Barretto's goal.

Petar Sliskovic [6.5]

More than his impact in the opposition box, it was his clearances in his own half that were the highlight of his performance tonight.

Chennaiyin FC Substitutes

Rahim Ali [7.0]

Right after coming on, the former Mohun Bagan forward made an instant impact with his volley from Edwin Vanspaul's cross. After Prabhsukhan Gill's save, Barretto stabbed home the resulting rebound into the net. The youngster also registered a key pass in the game.

Abdenasser El Khayati [6.0]

The Dutch midfielder didn't have the desired impact after coming on in the 70th minute and could only complete half of his passes.

Jiteshwor Singh [5.5]

Returning from injury, Jiteshwor had quite a shaky time on the pitch, losing possession on multiple occasions and also being dribbled past late in the game.

Anirudh Thapa [6.5]

After being subbed on in place of Barretto in the 78th minute, Anirudh Thapa had a positive impact and also had a shot on target during his time on the pitch.

Kwame Karikari [6.0]

The Ghanaian international had no significant impact after coming on, except for the one particular air duel he won.