Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: Who won yesterday's ISL 2021-22 match?

Kerala Blasters FC blanked Chennaiyin FC 3-0 in Match 38 of the 2021-22 ISL season on Wednesday, December 22. Jorge Diaz, Sahal Abdul Samad and Adrian Luna netted for the Tuskers as they recorded their second consecutive win by a three-goal margin.

The match began with energy as both ISL teams fought hard to find gaps in the other's midfield. Chennaiyin FC aimed at overloading the flanks with lofted lateral passes while the Kerala Blasters looked for a more direct approach to goal.

Ivan Vukomanovic's side eventually came up trumps in that tactical battle to open the scoring. A searching lofted pass over the Marina Machans defense from Lalthathanga Khawlhring found its way to Jorge Diaz. The Kerala Blasters forward bent his run to stay onside.

Diaz raced through on goal and struck a right-footed shot across Vishal Kaith and into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0.

Chennaiyin FC almost responded instantly, with the ball finding its way to Mirlan Murzaev. The forward hit a good shot that cannoned off the crossbar, but the flag was raised on the far side for offside.

That seemed to raise the energy levels within the Marina Machans camp as they grew into the game. Bozidar Bandovic's side had their first real chance when a corner from the right was headed on at the near post by Germanpreet Singh. The effort was a good one but Prabhsukhan Gill did well to palm it out of danger.

Chennaiyin FC then had their best chance of the first half near the 30-minute mark. After winning the ball from a corner, the trailing side embarked on a lightning quick counter-attack.

Murzaev did well to turn his marker before squaring the ball to an onrushing and unmarked Germanpreet Singh. The midfielder could've chosen any spot in the goal to finish but blasted his effort wide from near the penalty spot.

Bandovic's side were made to pay for the miss seven minutes before half-time after some shambolic play. Kaith's botched clearance fell to Alvaro Vazquez, who rolled the ball in for an open Abdul Samad. Samad's initial shot was kept from going in by a Chennaiyin FC defender, but he netted the rebound to make it 2-0 to the Kerala Blasters.

Vazquez then had a chance late on to add to the scoreline when the Marina Machans defense was caught napping once again. However, Kaith made himself big enough to deny the forward.

But the damage was done and the Kerala Blasters walked into half-time of this ISL fixture with a two-goal advantage over Chennaiyin FC.

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Adrian Luna adds to Chennaiyin FC's misery as Kerala Blasters move to second in ISL table

The second half initially saw a significant drop in tempo. The Kerala Blasters pressed high up the pitch while Chennaiyin FC looked for a way back into the game.

Vukomanovic's side eventually got their first golden chance of the period. Some excellent play down the right by Vazquez and Diaz saw a cross reach Luna at the back post. The Kerala Blasters midfielder opted against shooting and laid it back for Jessel Carneiro, whose powerful strike rebounded off the crossbar.

Chennaiyin FC continued to pile on the pressure, but failed to significantly trouble the Tuskers' defense. The likes of Reagan Singh and Jerry Lalrinzuala sent multiple crosses in that were dealt with comfortably by the Kerala Blasters backline.

Anirudh Thapa also sent in a dangerous cross that was met by Slavko Damjanovic, but he put his attempt over the bar. The flag was raised for offside, however. Ariel Borysiuk had another attempt for Chennaiyin FC with less than 15 minutes of regulation time to go. However, his shot went well wide of the Kerala Blasters post.

Those attempts were small positives on a bleak day overall for the two-time ISL champions, which was made worse by Luna in the 78th minute. Narayan Das misjudged a routine header to allow Luna a chance to move forward. The Kerala Blasters attacker looked to set up Vazquez, who failed to control it.

The ball then ricocheted off a couple of legs before falling to Luna and his first-time strike gave Kaith no chance whatsoever. With a 3-0 lead for the Blasters, the game was done and dusted.

The final minutes dragged on a little as Chennaiyin FC opted to substitute many of their key players to give them some much-needed rest. The Kerala Blasters also provided chances for a couple of fringe players to see the game out comfortably.

With this win, the Tuskers moved up to joint-second in the 2021-22 ISL table with 12 points from seven matches. Bandovic's side, who managed no shots on target against the Blasters, fell to sixth in this season's ISL with 11 points from seven games.