Ratings: Diaz, Luna excel as Kerala Blasters win against Chennaiyin FC

Ivan Vukomanovic's men are now fifth in the standings with 30 points and two remaining matches.

Kerala Blasters thumped Chennaiyin FC 3-0 in the Indian Super League on Saturday. The win keeps Kerala's hopes of making it to the playoffs alive and hands them a place in the top four at the time of writing. Jorge Pereyra Diaz scored twice in the second half, before captain Adrian Luna scored a free-kick to add insult to Chennaiyin's injury.

Kerala Blasters (by Shivam Tiwari)

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill - 6.0

Kerala Blasters custodian Gill was untroubled throughout the game by the Chennaiyin FC forwards. He faced zero shots on goal and so had no saves to make. He also had very little time on the ball to judge his passing.

Ruivah Hormipam - 7.0

The Indian youngster started for Kerala Blasters against Chennaiyin FC for the first time since his head injury. Disciplined with his positioning, Hormipam didn't let the fear of another head injury prevent him from contesting for the aerial duels. He finished the game with eight tackles.

Marko Leskovic - 7.5

Marko Leskovic showed insane control over the ball when pressed. His passing was superior to everyone on the pitch. However, he let a cross go away from him, allowing Joby Justin an opportunity to score. He finished the game with 96% passing accuracy.

Sanjeev Stalin - 8.5

Sanjeev Stalin produced one of his finest attacking displays of the season against Chennaiyin FC against Kerala Blasters. The former U-17 international created three chances with his link-up play and crosses. He finished the game with an assist from a shot that hit the crossbar.

Harmanjot Singh Khabra - 8.0

Harmanjot Khabra's ball to Alvaro Vazquez started the move for Kerala Blasters' second goal of the game. The Indian veteran was precise with his interception attempts, succeeding at all of them.

Ayush Adhikari - 8.0

Ayush has done a brilliant job while taking the place of the injured Jeakson Singh in the starting lineup. He did well at maintaining the tempo of the play and recycling the ball when needed. He finished the game with 87% passing accuracy.

Vincy Barretto - 5.0

It was a not so impressive performance from Vincy Barretto. He constantly suffered from disciplinary issues by committing three fouls in the first half, one of which got him a yellow card.

Lalthathanga Khawlhring - 7.0

Lalthathanga Khawlhring was overshadowed by his Kerala Blasters teammate Ayush Adhikari throughout the game against Chennaiyin FC. However, that doesn't take away all the good work that the Indian midfielder put in. He completed all three of his interception attempts and kept an 82% passing accuracy.

Adrian Luna - 8.5

Adrian Luna provided the assist for Jorge Pereyra Diaz's first goal of the game. He then scored one of his own from a free-kick. The Uruguayan forward finished the game with three crosses.

Alvaro Vazquez - 9.0

It is a shame that Alvaro Vazquez finished the game with nothing to show for his performance. He created five chances for his side, one of which was a sitter for Diaz. He also had four shots in the game.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz - 9.0

Jorge Pereyra Diaz missed a sitter at the end of the first half. However, the Argentinean forward didn't let the miss get the better of him, as he scored two goals in the second. He had seven shots in the game.

Substitutes

Sahal Abdul Samad - 7.0

Sahal's introduction in the game turned the tide towards Kerala Blasters. The Indian midfielder tried to progress the ball through carries and his dribbling abilities, instead of opting for an easy pass. He spent only 54% of his touches to pass the ball.

Sandeep Singh - 7.0

Sandeep Singh earned the free-kick that allowed the Blasters' captain Adrian Luna to score. He was fouled thrice in his 18 minutes on the pitch.

Rahul KP - N/A

Rahul spent 12 minutes on the pitch and had just nine touches in the game.

Enes Sipovic - N.A

Ivan Vukomanovic subbed Sipovic into the game in the 89th minute.

Chennaiyin FC (By Kaushik G. Viswanath)

Vishal Kaith - 5.0 

The keeper saw all three shots go past him into the net. He didn’t have a lot to work on or contribute to the game. 

Edwin Vanspaul - 6.0 

He was a busy customer on the night, but couldn’t contribute anything substantial to the Chennaiyin FC cause. He created one chance, had the second most touches of any CFC player (55) and completed 79% of his passes. Defensively, he won both his attempted tackles, made two clearances and interceptions respectively. 

Deepak Devrani - 5.5 

Completed 71% of his passes, made five clearances, one interception and blocked two shots. But, he couldn’t stop the class of the Kerala frontline from getting the better of him and the defence. 

Narayan Das - 5.5 

He was the best defender for CFC on the night. Completed 70% of his passes, won one tackle, made five clearances and three interceptions. 

Jerry Lalrinzuala - 6.0 

Created two chances on the night. Defensively, he won two tackles, made two clearances and one interception respectively. 

Germanpreet Singh - 5.0 

Struggled to match the quality of his midfield adversaries on the night. He completed 17 passes at an 81% accuracy and made two interceptions before being taken off post the hour mark. 

Jobby Justin - 5.5 

Did a decent job in the first 45 before being taken off at half-time. He was one of only two players to take a shot, but all of his shots were off target. He won both his attempted tackles. 

Anirudh Thapa - 5.0 

The skipper couldn’t contribute anything on the attacking front. But, he completed 84% of his passes, won one tackle and made two interceptions. He was taken off in the 78th minute for Reagan Singh. 

Vladimir Koman - 6.0 

The midfielder influenced his side’s gameplay and had the most touches by any CFC player (79). He also completed the most passes by any CFC player (54) at an accuracy rate of 72%. He also won three tackles and made one clearance on the night 

Rahim Ali - 5.0

Tried his best and played in multiple positions on the night. But, couldn’t influence his side’s attack. He completed 68% of his passes and made two clearances on the night.

Lukasz Gikiewicz - 4.5 

His role says he is a forward, but he barely contributes anything in attack and it continued tonight. His contributions for the night were nine passes at a 45% accuracy, one clearance and one blocked shot. Forward? 

Substitutes 

Suhail Pasha - 5.0 

The youngster came on for the final half hour and only had 17 touches to make something of. He completed three out of his seven attempted passes, won one tackle and made one interception.  

Mirlan Murzaev - 5.0 

The forward came on in the second half, but saw both his shots go off target. He completed 10 passes, won one tackle and made one interception on the night. 

Nerijus Valskis - 4.5 

The Lithuanian was called on to change the course of the game for his side in the final 15 minutes. But, fared none better than the other struggling forwards. He remained isolated during his time on the pitch and only had one completed pass to show for his efforts. 

Reagan Singh - 5 

Came on for the final 15 minutes of the game. He made two crosses and created one chance. He also made one interception and one clearance. 

Ninthoi Meetei - N/A 

He came on in the final minute of the game. 

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