Kerala Blasters secured a crucial 3-1 victory over Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 southern derby at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday. Goals from Jesus Jimenez, Korou Singh Thingujam, and Kwame Peprah ensured the visitors grabbed their first-ever win at the Marina Arena, while Adrian Luna played a key role with two assists.

Chennaiyin’s only goal came from substitute Vincy Barretto in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late for Owen Coyle’s side, which played most of the match with 10 men after Wilmar Jordan Gil received a straight red card in the first half.

Blasters Strike Early

With Chennaiyin missing forward Noah Sadaoui, the Blasters capitalized quickly. In just the third minute, Korou Singh turned inside and found Jimenez, who spun and fired a shot past Chennaiyin goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz from a tight angle, silencing the home crowd.

Kerala continued to press aggressively and nearly doubled their lead in the 12th minute, when Peprah sent a clever through ball to Jimenez, but Nawaz came up with a crucial one-on-one save.

Chennaiyin Down to 10 Men

The match took a decisive turn in the 37th minute when Chennaiyin’s Wilmar Jordan Gil was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball shove on Milos Drincic, leaving the hosts with a mountain to climb.

Despite being a man down, Chennaiyin had a golden chance to equalize in the 44th minute. Farukh Choudhary dribbled past his marker and sent in a cross, but Lukas Brambilla failed to convert from close range.

Just when Chennaiyin hoped to go into the break only a goal behind, poor defending cost them again. In first-half stoppage time, Luna rolled the ball into the box for Korou, who took his time before smashing a low shot into the bottom-left corner, giving Kerala a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Peprah’s Volley Seals the Win

Chennaiyin showed more urgency after the break and nearly pulled one back in the 54th minute, when Connor Shields curled an effort from the edge of the box, only to see it go wide.

Just two minutes later, Kerala punished the home side again. Luna, displaying his vision, sent a delicate dinked cross into the box, where Peprah volleyed home to make it 3-0.

Coyle responded with attacking substitutions, bringing in Barretto and Daniel Chima Chukwu, but Chennaiyin struggled to break through the Blasters’ compact defense. Chukwu came close in the 82nd minute, but his shot hit the side netting.

Chennaiyin finally got on the scoresheet in stoppage time, when Irfan Yadwad delivered a cross from the left, and Barretto finished with a neat strike.

In the final moments, an on-field spat between Luna and Noah Sadaoui raised eyebrows, as Luna was left frustrated when Sadaoui didn’t pass to him in a better scoring position. However, interim head coach T.G. Purushothaman played down the incident.

“That happens in football. It’s nothing. Everything is fine between them [in the dressing room],” Purushothaman said post-match.

The win keeps Kerala Blasters in eighth place with 24 points from 19 matches, while Chennaiyin remains 10th with 18 points from 19 games.

Match Result

Chennaiyin FC 1 (Barretto 90+1’) lost to Kerala Blasters 3 (Jimenez 3’, Korou 45+3’, Peprah 56’)