ISL: Kerala Blasters 0-1 Chennaiyin FC - 5 Talking Points

Chennaiyin FC edged Kerala Blasters 1-0 in the second South Indian derby of the Indian Super League. Although Kerala Blasters made more chances, it was Chennaiyin FC who grabbed their chances and bagged all three points. Here are the biggest takeaways from the clash between the two teams from the south.

#1 Kerala get off to a jittery start

In a game that could have seen Kerala leapfrog Atletico de Kolkata into second place on the table, they got off to a far from ideal start. They looked nervy at the back and couldn't string two passes together. When they managed to dispossess Chennai, they were guilty of not being patient, and looked to their talisman Iain Hume way too early. As a result, Hume couldn’t get into threatening positions, and had to look backwards for support.

They were two chances, in particular that Chennai should have taken. First, Cristian Hidalgo shot straight at David James at the near post, and then from the resulting corner, Kerala didn't clear the ball effectively and miscontrol from Balwant Singh let Kerala off the hook.

#2 Referee doesn\'t let the game flow

There was never a flow to the game, as the referee blew his whistle at even the slightest of opportunities.

The Sri Lankan official who was in charge didn't allow even the slightest of contact between the players and as a result, there was a stoppage almost every second minute. While the game was killed as a spectacle, the stadium never stopped being a cauldron of noise, and that is a massive credit to the crowd that turned up.

But, to the slight credit of the referee, although he gave a lot of fouls, managed to keep his cards in his pocket at most times, as the entire game saw only three player – all from Chennai – getting booked, as Dhanachandra Singh, Mikael SIlvestre and Pelissari had their names taken.

#3 Kerala forced into substitutions

David James started off the game, by taking a risk, as he put himself in goal, despite not having fully recovered from the groin injury he suffered in Kerala’s previous game in Goa. James completed 18 minutes of the first half, when the groin acted up and ensured that he could play no further part in the game. He was replaced by 39 year old Sandip Nandy.

Another surprising inclusion in the starting eleven was the Scot, Jamie McAllister. McAllister was playing his first ISL game since Kerala;s opening match in Guwahati, and it was bound to happen that he’d cramp up at some point of time, especially given the usually oppressive condition in Kochi.

#4 Balwant works his socks off

It has almost become a given for Marco Materazzi that Balwant Singh would be a tireless runner, who’d get under the skin of opposition defenses, and tonight was no different. With his strike partner, Jeje Lalpekhlua having an indifferent game, it was imperative that Balwant worked the Kerala defense, or otherwise they’d have had it really easy.

And the Mohun Bagan man responded to his team’s need by putting in an excellent shift. He ran the channels brilliantly, and implored the midfielders to play the ball to him. If only he displayed more composure in the final third, this could have been a memorable night for Balwant.

#5 Samba Magic again!

A Brazilian stepping up and getting the team all three points. This is not a new script for Chennai. If it was Elano in the first half of the tournament, it has been Bruno Pelissari since then. The young Brazilian lost his place in the starting eleven to Cristian Hidalgo, but when it was apparent that Chennai were looking flat, Materazzi turned to him for inspiration.

Inspire, he did! As a Kerala corner was cleared by Bernard Mendy, the ball fell to Pelissari halfway inside the Chennai half. He showed an excellent turn of pace to beat Nirmal Chhetri, and ran till he got to the Kerala penalty area. As he was surrounded by defenders, it looked like he was running out of options, but then he turned on to his supposed weaker side, and curled a shot into the far corner that Nandy had no hope of saving.Game, set, match!