MATCH REPORT: Mendonza's second hat-trick rekindles Chennai top 4 hopes, sinks Kerala

A HAT-TRICK FROM Chenaiyin FC's trusted frontman and golden boot frontrunner Stiven Mendoza saw Kerala Blasters come unraveled on a rain-soaked night in Chennai as the home team drowned them 4-1 to to wash away their semi-final hopes and re-kindle their own. 

While the visitors decided to stick to the same starting line-up that trumped NorthEast United at their own backyard, Chennaiyin FC made 5 changes aiming for a comeback from the loss in Kolkata. Materazzi went back to Edel at goal and Stiven Mendoza up front, also bringing Bruno, Bernard Mendy and Jeje Lalpekhlua back into the side.

The visitors created a dangerous moment early on when Antonio German hit the post in the very first minute. But from then on it was all Chennai as in the 3rd minute the home team opened the scoring. It started with a cross from Thoi Singh that Rahul Bheke headed away, but the ball went to Dhanachandra Singh who was standing outside the penalty box. He returned the ball with a left footed volley that picked its way through the jungle of defenders and the Kerala keeper through a very narrow angle and found the net. The Kerala defence was taken aback, and Chennai were in the lead.

Soon another cross created trouble for Kerala. Bruno sent the ball in, but 3 Chennai players who were present inside the box failed to get a shot on it. The chance went begging.

Raphael Augusto made another charge for Chennai when he ran into the box and let fly but his shot went above the crossbar.

But Stiven Mendoza added to his goal tally to gain one over Sunil Chhetri when he received a long ball from Dhanachandra Singh, skillfully turned to fool his marker and drove the ball home. 15 minutes in, Chennai were leading 2-0.

As Kerala became conscious of defence not to concede any further, Chennai were happy to keep danger at bay. But after a while of toned-down contest the fiestiness returned to the game. 

Chennai were the one with the more fluid movements as Kerala players often gave the ball away too cheaply. They got a chance when a long ball reached Pulga inside the Chennai box but Mendy was immediately on his case and pressured him into taking a hurried shot that went wide.

A good exchange between Jeje and Stiven saw them cover a lot of ground that and eventually gain a corner. The corner kick provided a Raphael with a chance to head home but he missed the target.

Jeje got a chance again, this time fed by Bruno Pelissari, but Rahul Bheke managed to block his shot.

Then things got a bit ugly as after Stiven Mendoza went down on the ground after a challenge, Mehtab Hossain jumped on his calf, with his large studs and everything, deliberately causing him a lot of pain. The East Bengal midfielder should have been sent off for what was borderline violent conduct in a dead ball situation but the referee chose to show him a yellow instead. 

But nonetheless, as the first half ended, Chennaiyin FC had a strong 2-0 lead that they looked more than capable of defending for the rest of the game.

Coming into the second half with the monumentous task of chasing down a 2-0 lead, Kerala decided to swap Peter Ramage with Bruno Perone. A gush of rain welcomed the players as they came in; and Mendoza set up Thoi who headed the ball above the crossbar to warm things back up.

A pass from Thoi Singh saw Harmanjot Khabra take a crack at the goal but it took a deflection on the way and went right out. 

Seeing the match slipping from them Kerala brought in C K Vineeth to replace Cavin Lobo. Antonio German got a chance to get one back but once again fell short of target.

Then, the easiest chance of the game went begging for Chennaiyin. Mendoza breached the Kerala defence and once he was well inside the penalty box, chose to pass it to Jeje who failed to get the touch to tap it home. Materazzi looked livid on the sidelines. 

Most of the game went by with Chennaiyin FC almost effortlessly holding the visitors at an arm's length. Then came a two minute spell that saw Stiven Mendoza pretty much dismantle any remaining challenge left in the Kerala squad.

In the 79th minute Mendoza passed the ball to Thoi, who sent it right back as the Colombian striker entered the penalty box. Mendoza duly took the shot, which keeper Bywater had covered. But the ball took a deflection off Bruno Perone who seemed to be taking a stroll on the park. The change in the trajectory caused the ball to beat the keeper and go in. 3-0 to Chennai.

Then within 2 minutes Mendoza struck again. A swiftly taken free kick saw the striker make a sneaky run to leave the off-guard Kerala defence behind. Sandesh tried to chase him but it wasn't enough. Mendoza completed his hat-trick, taking his goal tally for the season up to 9.

Tempers flared on the pitch when tackles from Potenza and Blasi saw Chris Dagnall lose cool and push Blasi. A scuffle broke out as multiple players got involved. It took a long time to calm both parties down. The referee booked both Potenza and Blasi; the latter accumulating enough yellows to get suspended for the next match.

Antonio German got a consolation goal for Kerala towards the end, off a Mehtab Hossain free kick. But it was obviously too little, too late. Chennaiyin claimed a thumping 4-1 victory. 

It was the life-line that Materazzi's team desperately needed. With their fourth win of the season, Chennai have now jumped from the bottom of the ISL points table to 6th. They are now on 13 points from 11 matches, and ready to welcome Delhi on Tuesday in a potentially pivotal encounter that can see their top-four challenge sink or swim. Mendoza, dependable as ever, came through once again for them and Dhanachandra was brilliant with his early goal and assist. The smooth way the team operated makes one wonder why Materazzi decided to bench Mendoza in the match against Kolkata; where having Fikru up front saw Chennai's attack go blunt.

As for Kerala, they just didn't turn up tonight. The midfield was lacklustre, and the defence came loose at the slightest of pressure. They conceded two goals for being caught unprepared. And Bruno's casual contribution towards the third goal against his own team, and having almost no reaction to that blunder, perfectly summed up their night. Sixty minutes in they had given up, in a game where losing meant their chances to qualify for the semi-finals went from dim to bleak. With 11 points from 11 matches, they are back at the bottom of the table. To make it to top-four they must win all 3 of their remaining matches. But they must do so by beating opponents like Goa and Delhi; and the performance they put on tonight, frankly, does not inspire much confidence.