ISL 2023-24: Aakash Sangwan shines in Chennaiyin's 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters

Left-back Aakash Sangwan netted a splendid goal in the second half as Chennaiyin FC registered a 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

It was a frantic start to the contest as both teams took on an attacking approach get-go. Rafael Crivellaro's early attempt at goal from outside the box was saved by the away team.

Kerala's goalkeeper Sachin Suresh came out of the box in the 16th minute to block a pass made to Rahim Ali by Chennaiyin midfield before Aakash's shot from the left side of the post hit the side-netting.

Aakash had another opportunity in the 22nd minute but this time his shot went high over the bar without troubling the opposition goalkeeper.

Four minutes later, Kerala Blasters' Fedor Cernych received the ball on the left flank and fired a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal after outmanoeuvring the defence. However, Chennaiyin's goalkeeper Debjit Majumder rose to the occasion to keep the score level.

The away team's prospects took a hit when Sachin was forced to leave the field due to an injury in the first half.

Chennaiyin FC began the second half positively as Farukh Choudhary

put a header on target in the 51st minute and nine minutes later, Aakash gave the lead to the home team. Aakash took a throw-in, then made a run into the box to receive Farukh's pass before scoring a fine goal.

Rahim soon found himself in the centre of the action when he got into a 1v1 position against Kerala Blasters' substitute goalkeeper Karanjit Singh. However, Karan made a fantastic save to keep his team in the contest.

The away side saw a ray of hope in the 81st minute of the match as Ankit Mukherjee received his second yellow card for making a foul on Kerala's goalkeeper. Chennaiyin played the rest of the match with 10 men but stood firm in defence to register a narrow victory.

Chennaiyin FC will now face Mumbai City FC in Chennai on Friday, 23 February, while Kerala Blasters FC will take on FC Goa on Sunday, 25 February.