FULL-TIME: CHENNAIYIN FC 3-1 KERALA BLASTERS FC
90+5' Chennaiyin goes for one final push as Dragos runs free on the left. Kerala gets back the ball but is unable to conjure anything meaningful from it as the referee brings the match to an end. The win takes Chennaiyin eighth in the standings behind Odisha FC, which is level on points but has a superior goal difference of 0.
90+2' Eli Sabia gets a second booking after he stands on the ball after running into Messi Bouli as the referee sends him off the pitch. There will be more to this match than the added time.
90' Raju Gaikwad misses a clearance as Thoi Singh looks for the ball inside the box. Moustapha comes up with a desperate challenge to clear the danger for Kerala. We are going to have four minutes of added time.
88' Samuel takes a wayward shot from the centre of the pitch. There is no real direction the shot. Kerala has never been in the game today and that will not help its cause.
85' Kerala's positional play is killing its build-up play as Prasanth desperately looks for a teammate near the half line. Sameul tries to find Messi Bouli inside the box with a diagonal ball who goes inside the box after coming in contact with Eli Sabia. There is a claim for a penalty but the referee waves off the appeal.
82' Chennaiyin goalkeeper Vishal Kaith gets a yellow card for delaying his goal kick a little too long.
80' Firtulescu goes on a solo run down the right side with Vanspaul in tow but Raju Gaikwad comes to the rescue with a vital clearance.
78' Germanpreet clears the lines to avert danger from a Kerala corner. Kerala recycles the ball as Moustapha fails to find Jeakson on the right side.
76' That is terrible defending from Kerala. Rakip tries to dribble through his own defence and almost gives away an easy goal if not for Schembri, who fails to win the ball and score from close range.
75' Close! Chennaiyin's poor clearance off a corner falls for Sahal who tries to curl it into the far post but misses the crossbar by inches.
72' Crivellaro comes off the pitch for a big cheer from the crowd. Dragos Firtulescu replaces him in the middle.
70' Messi Bouli plays a throughball for Sahal to chase, but Kaith is quickly off his line and jumps on the ball to protect it from the Kerala forward.
67' Messi Bouli drops deep and tries to cut in from the left as Germanpreet does well to take the ball off him. Chennaiyin in cruise control of this tie.
65' Kerala has bossed the possession much like the first half but has been unable to breach the disciplined home defence. Jeakson dinks a ball over the Chennaiyin backline for Messi Bouli lurking at the far post, but Vishal Kaith is alert and pounces on the ball immediately.
63' Sahal comes for Seityasen and immediately gets into the act. He plays one-two with Jeakson who tries to put in a ball into the box, Vanspaul is in position to clear the ball.
60' Prasanth whips in a curling ball into the box as Tondonba calmly heads the ball clear. Sahal Abdul Samad is warming up on the sidelines as Kerala desperately needs to some direction in the final third.
58' Valskis is taken off the pitch and replaced by Thoi Singh. Chennaiyin is in a comfortable position unless Kerala gets rid off its profligacy.
55' Kerala wins a corner kick but the set-piece is dealt with easily by the Chennaiyin defence. Valskis is brought down by Rakip near the half line while Germanpreet is down on the pitch gasping for breath after being nudged in the back by Eli Sabia who goes into the referee's book. He seems to be okay though.
53' Schattorie, banished to the stands for today's game, is quite uncomfortable with his new seating arrangement and why not. His team has been awful with its defending while the chances at the other end were far and few.
50' Kerala Lucky! Drobarov is dispossessed by Chhangte on the left as the forwards lays it off for Valskis who cuts it back for Schembri who is unable to pull the trigger. The ball falls for Germanpreet who drags his shot wide.
48' Kerala wins a free kick on the left as Messi Bouli delivery smashes into the wall. Messi wins the rebound and heads it into the path of Arques who puts Carneiro through with a brilliant backheel. However, the defender is unable to connect as pulls the trigger.
46' Here we go! Ogbeche is replaced by Moustapha Gning in the middle. The Kerala striker was struggling with his vision at the end of the first half.
HALF-TIME: CHENNAIYIN FC 3-1 KERALA BLASTERS
45+7' CLOSE! Kerala dozes off yet again as Crivellaro puts Chhangte through to the goal but the forward's shot at the far post goes agonisingly wide. That should've been a fourth goal there.
45+6' This well might have been the second half but the dramatic nature of this game makes the first 45 minutes seems like an eternity. Valskis is brought down near the half line but the referee remains unmoved.
45+3' There might be more trouble for Kerala and the five minute added time might be stretched even longer as Ogbeche is seen struggling with his vision. The forward walks gingerly off the pitch dabbing his right eye with water.
45+2' Eelco Schattorie, who is suspended for the match after being shown two yellow cards, is seen taking notes in the VIP box.
44' Chhangte has given Rakip a torrid time today with his incisive runs down the flank. However, the Kerala defender comes out on top after Crivellaro plays the winger through on the left.
43' It is a surprise that Rehenesh has not been sent off for his reckless jump on Chhangte after the winger played the ball for the goal. Germanpreet goes for an unnecessary lunge in the centre and is shown a yellow card.
40' GOAL CHENNAIYIN! That's an incredible assist from Chhangte. The youngster finds out that Rehenesh completely off his line and lobs it over the keeper for Valskis who is left with a simple poke into an empty as a helpless Drobarov looks on.
35' Chennaiyin grabs back the control of the ball as Kerala looks rattled by the goal and all the drama.
30' CHENNAIYIN SCORES! Within seconds of overturning the decision, Chennaiyin gets itself back in the lead as Crivellaro and Valskis work the ball to lay it in the path of Chhangte who applies a neat finish. This game has been a rollercoaster.
28' Goal disalllowed! The referee Om Prakash Thakur has a discussion with his team on the sidelines and declares Chennaiyin's goal invalid. Now the Chennaiyin bench is breathing fire. Chaos everywhere!
25' GOAL CHENNAIYIN!! Schembri runs behind the Kerala defence and has all the time in the world to square it off to Valskis as the forward finishes from close range to make it 2-1 for the home team. The Kerala players and bench is absolutely furious at the referee and the match officials. The visitor claims the free kick which led to the goal was actually wrong.
24' Valskis jumps over Rakip for a header and the referee gives the Chennaiyin forward is furious.
20' Chennaiyin and Kerala are coughing up possession in key areas as the game has been blown wide open. Kerala has much of the ball but a high-line has often let Chennaiyin forwards make runs behind the defence.
18' Close! Ogbeche pounces on a lob from Messi Bouli and pulls the trigger from a tight angle. The Kerala skipper's shot goes agonisingly wide off the post.
14' STUNNER FROM OGBECHE! Kerala wins a free kick on the left side as Ogbeche gets a rolling ball. The Kerala captain unleashes an absolute thunderbolt from distance to pull the visitor level.
9' The visitor gets a spell of possession for the first time as the Canary Yellows build from the back.
8' Kerala is all over the pitch. Chennaiyin wins another corner which Rakip clears the lines just in the nick of the time.
4' GOAL CHENNAIYIN!! What a brilliant star by the home team. Rafael Crivellaro spots a pocket of space on the left and the Kerala defence dozes off for a moment. The midfielder gets to the byline and squares a pass to Andre Schembri who is left with a simple tap in to the host forward.
3' Germanpreet spots Chhangte free on the left and frees the winger. But Rakip does well to block the youngster's path to win a Kerala goal kick.
1' Here we go! Kerala begins the proceedings from right to left. The first minute sees a couple challenges from Kerala players and Prashanth catching Tondonba Singh with a late challenge.
The players are out on the pitch in Chennai for the national anthem....
What's at stake today?
There is a lot to lose for both the teams as they head into the clash. For Chennaiyin FC, with a new coach and just six points from seven matches, the chances of making it to the play-offs depends on today's results. Chennaiyin does not have the luxury of dropping points today as one point off this game will keep it rooted to ninth in the table. For Eelco Schattorie and Blasters a win is a must in order to keep its chances for a top-four finish alive. A win would take today's visitor to sixth in the table while a draw is no good for the Kochi side.
Playing XIs: Ogbeche starts for Blasters.
Our correspondent Aashin Prasad previews the most crucial match for both Chennaiyin and Blasters
With the qualification for the play-offs a mathematical possibility for both teams, rivals Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters clash in their Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday.
Chennaiyin (ninth on the table with six points) would have been better placed had Jamshedpur FC not denied it a win its last game owing to a controversial late equaliser.
Isaac Vanmalsawma’s 89th minute goal, which took a wicked deflection of his teammate Farukh Choudhary’s hand, meant Chennaiyin couldn't fully profit of the new coach bounce in the form of Owen Coyle’s appointment.
The postponement of the away fixture against NorthEast United, two days later, would have come as a welcome relief for the Scotsman Coyle, who took charge of the squad a couple of days before the Jamshedpur game. Ahead of his first home game, the head coach can hope he can begin the recovery process having had the opportunity to acquaint himself with the players.
While hinting at the possibility of a new signing in January, Coyle also said: "The focus right now is making sure our current players perform well. I watched all the games. There have been a couple of games where the club has been unlucky. We want that bit of luck. We have to bring everybody together.”
First order of Coyle’s reign will be sorting out the defensive record which has been maligned by lapses and poor luck. Chennaiyin has conceded a goal each in its last three matches after the 80th minute while two of them have cost the side four points.
Blasters (placed eighth with seven points) could also make a case for ill-fate with luck, injuries and errors halting their progress. The team has let in three goals in as many matches in the final quarter of the second periods which has extended the club’s winless run to seven matches.
Blasters assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed reiterated faith in head coach Eelco Schattorie’s methods, despite the team’s position on the points table mirroring last season’s run after eight games.
“I think the previous season is completely different. The brand of football is very different. We have dominated matches but there have been errors. But that is due to a lack of concentration. Despite having a lot of injuries, our players have shown a lot of character. We have dominated teams like Bengaluru FC, FC Goa etc. We are working on the individual errors and hopefully, we can improve,” said Ahmed.
Last year, too, a struggling Chennaiyin and Blasters faced off here at a similar juncture of their respective faltering seasons. Both teams played out a dull goalless draw as they finished bottom of the table.
However, with the possible return of key striker Bartholomew Ogbeche and a firing Raphael Messi Bouli in its ranks, Blasters will be hoping to end its win drought.
And with the returns of four goals from three matches for forward Nerijus Valskis, Chennaiyin will seek to hit a full refresh button with a win on Coyle’s home debut.
The match will be streamed live on Hotstar and Star Sports network from 7.30 pm.
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