ISL 2016: Chennaiyin FC 0-0 Kerala Blasters - Player ratings
The battle between the two South Indian clubs, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters, ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday. It's the time of the year when there are crackers on the street, but there weren't fireworks on the pitch when the two rivals went head-to-head.
A game of two halves, Chennaiyin FC, playing at home, had chances in the first half but couldn't take advantage of it. Kerala Blasters turned the tables and were dominant in the second half. Bernard Mendy came the closest for Chennai, while Kervens Belfort came the closest for Kerala, but in the end, both teams had to go home with just one point each.
Here are the player ratings for the game.
Chennaiyin FC
Karanjit Singh - 6/10
The Indian goalkeeper had very little to do in the first half but was called into action late in the game. There were three shots on target for Kerala and Karanjit did well to stop all three. The 30-year-old didn't have much to do other than that.
Mehrajuddin Wadoo - 5/10
Wadoo has been a very important player in the Chennai defence so far but against Kerala, the 32-year-old struggled. The right back found it difficult to handle Belfort's pace and dribbling and the Haitian forward got the better of the Chennai player several times in the game. However, Wadoo made sure that he didn't make any costly errors.
Eli Sabia - 6/10
Sabia has been a very solid player for the defending champions since he came into the starting eleven and Saturday was no different. Though the Brazilian had nothing difficult to do, he made sure that the opponent attackers didn't find any space and made things difficult for them.
Bernard Mendy - 8/10
Mendy was Chennai's best player on the night. The French centre-back was solid at the back and also came the closest to scoring for the home side. Mendy was very strong in the air and didn't give any space for the Kerala attackers. The Chennai captain looked like he wanted to inspire his team to win the game by initiating a few attacks from the back. The 35-year-old almost made a costly error by giving away the possession to Kerala in a dangerous position instead of kicking the ball out.
Jerry Lalrinzuala - 6/10
The maturity that the 18-year-old is showing is growing game by game. Jerry did very well to keep Kerala's Mohammed Rafique at bay and also helped Chennai in their attacks. Striker Mohammed Rafi also found it difficult to beat the youngster.
Hans Mulder - 6/10
The Dutchman had to be substituted in the first half after sustaining an injury. Chennai faded away after Mulder leaving the field and his importance was evident after that.
Siam Hanghal - 5/10
The Indian midfielder tried to make things happen but nothing quite worked for him. The 23-year-old hit two shots from outside the box but either of them didn't test the goalkeeper at all. Hanghal's passes were also not clinical on the night and he gave away possession a few times.
Raphael Augusto - 7/10
Augusto was the only Chennai player who looked like he could make a difference. The Brazilian did well against the Kerala midfield and even got past the opposition with ease several times. However, his final ball was poor on the night. The 25-year-old was also quiet in the second half.
Baljit Sahni - 5/10
Sahni didn't have any kind of impact on the game and the 29-year-old was disappointing on the night.
Davide Succi - 6/10
Another Chennai player who looked like someone who could make a breakthrough, the Italian caused real problems for Kerala's centre back pairing of Cedric Hengbart and Aaron Hughes. Succi got a few half chances but was not able to capitalise on it.
Dudu Omagbemi - 5/10
The Nigerian was quiet and he did not get much of the ball and neither did he try to get it. Playing both Succi and Dudu might have been a mistake by Materazzi.
Substitutes
Manuele Blasi - 5/10
The Italian came on for the injured Mulder in the first half but was not able to create the same chances as the Dutchman midfielder. His passes were not accurate and couldn't make much impact on the game. Overall, Blasi had quite a bad game.
Maurizio Peluso - 5/10
The Italian's pace gave Chennai an extra spark. Peluso could have been very dangerous if he had done better with the ball at his feet but he didn't.
Jeje Lalpekhlua - N/A
The Indian striker came in too late to make any impact.