Indian Super League: Mendoza treble sinks Blasters

Chennaiyin FC drowned Kerala Blasters 4-1 in a match played under driving rain here on Saturday to stay afloat in ISL Season Two. Saturday became a Slaughterday for Blasters who became a sacrificial lamb to the razor-sharp left-foot of Chennaiyin’s hat-trick hero, Stiven Mendoza. The result kept the home team’s semi-final hopes alive while denting the visitors’ irreparably.

Mendoza, the fleet-footed Colombian forward, helped Chennaiyin snapped their wretched record at home this year with a delightful hat-trick, his second of the season. With nine goals, he is on top of the scoring charts. Even more importantly, Mendoza has put his team’s campaign back on track. No praise would be too high for doing so in the absence of Elano, Chenn-aiyin’s creative fulcrum.

When Mendoza was substituted towards the end, the adoring crowd roared its approval with a raucous standing ovation. Man, did he not milk it The Colombian provided a timely reminder to his coach Marco Materazzi who had benched him against ATK in the previous round to provide ‘playing time’ to Fikru Teferra. Materazzi would be wiser now; he had after all replaced someone who can rain goals with a forward who is yet to end his goal drought this season.

Even divine intervention might not have saved the team from God’s Own Country on an unforgettable day for Chennaiyin. Kerala were lucky to escape with a respectable score line because the hosts, who blasted off the blocks like a team in mission, missed a host of chances throughout.

Kerala almost opened the scoring in the first minute but Cavin Lobo’s shot came off the right post. At the other end, Dhanachandra Singh showed the visitors how it should be done with a sensational volley from the left. Mendoza’s sublime curler from the right in the 16th minute had Blasters bleeding.

Mendoza needed the downpour, which coincided with the start of the second half, to find his scoring boots again. And, he put the South Indian derby to bed in regal style with two goals in two minutes towards the end.