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Mendy’s goal to make it 2-1 for Chennayin FCAfter a day of break in the Hero Indian Super League, all eyes were shifted to the region of South in the beautiful Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium in Chennai where Chennayin FC played their first home game against their regional rivals Kerala Blasters. Being only the second outing for both sides, Chennaiyin FC edged past a tough Kerala Blasters by 2-1 in a thrilling derby encounter today. The fans turned out in bunches to back their side irrespective of skepticism that surrounded the home crowd in terms of attendance which did surprised many.Here, we look at the five major talking points of the match.
#1 First ever Southern derby of ISL
In a highly electrifying encounter between the regional rivals Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters saw the former edge past the latter by 2-1.
A game regarded as the first ever South Indian derby in the Hero Indian Super League saw an energetic crowd in the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, that had stayed an alien to football for a very long time. From heated verbal exchanges and physical clashes to some rare acrobatics, this game had it all, making it surpass all the expectations of a usual derby clash.
Celeb owners of both sides, Abhishek Bachhan and Sachin Tendulkar, along with other stars such as Amitab Bachhan and Rajnikanth cheered for their sides along with the fans making it one of the most festive atmospheres in the nation.
#2 Blasters prioritized domestic players
In a surprising move by Kerala Blasters saw them starting the game with six Indian players on field, which was different from a usual minimum of five.
The trio of Nirmal Chettri, Sandesh Jinghan and Gurwinder Singh donned the defense with Cedric Hengbert being the only foreign presence at the back line. It was once again the East Bengal defensive midfielder Mehtab Hossain who partnered Penn Orji at the centre of midfield. The young defender Avinabo Bag was put to a wide attacking role, while local boy C.S Sabeeth partnered the Canadian International Iain Hume up front.
Even though Chennaiyin had an advantage with more foreigners in their side, it was Blasters who had the upper hand throughout the game, dominating their rivals on ball possession and the total attempts on goal.
#3 Embarrassing finishes from Blasters
So many balls flew past the post of Chennaiyin FC, most going way off target making it one frustrating outing for the away side.
In a match which saw Blasters having the clear cut domination over the home team had their team let down by the poor finishes from forwards. A very high tempo clash saw Blasters putting high pressure over their opposition with constant attack from all ends, failing miserably in converting their chances that proved costly for the men in yellow.
The attacking prowess of Blasters was in scanner since their previous outing against North East United. Blasters, who had dominated the ball possession throughout the game, went down on missed chances which very much resembled their previous outing, resulting in a similar result going in favor of their opposition twice in a row now.
#4 Signature finish from Bernanrd Mendy
The former PSG defender Bernanrd Mendy, who is well known for his wonder goals, turned the spectators into jubilation with a spectacular bicycle kick to score the match winner against Blasters.
The wonder goal from the Frenchman gave the much needed lead to the home side in a match which was level after Balwant Singh and Iain Hume scored one goal each for Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters respectively. Mendy, who made some dangerous runs up front, was also exceptional at the defense of Chennaiyin FC, which won him the Hero of the Match award.
The acrobatic goal is highly likely to be marked as a serious contender for the goal of the season and will undoubtedly be remembered by their fans for a very long time to come.
#5 All goals came from set pieces
The game saw a bagful of shots on goal from both sides, and yet, all the goals of the game were born from the set-pieces.
In a very tightly contested encounter, the referee had a busy day with both teams getting on the book multiple times. The opening minutes of the game saw an already booked Gurwinder Singh bringing down Abhishek Das with a dangerous slider inside the box, with referee pointing straight to the penalty.
Elano made no mistake converting the penalty, scoring his second in the season with a sublime finish low to the left side of the post past the Blasters gaolkeeper David James. Blasters scored their first of the season after Iain Hume converting the cross from the Spaniard Pulga. The match winner from Bernard Mendy was also the result of a free kick from the Brazilain Elano.
