The Southern derby of the Indian Super League ended with the home team Chennaiyin FC clinching a 2-1 win through an Elano penalty and a Bernard Mendy screamer.
While the master Brazilian converted a penalty in the first half, Frenchman and former Hull City wingback Mendy came in with an audacious overhead kick to see Chennai through in their first home game of the season.
Chennayin FC now have two wins from as many matches, while Kerala Blasters FC are languishing at the bottom of the table having lost both their games in the inaugural tournament.
Both the teams made a decent start to the game with Chennai making early inroads into the Kerala defence. The home team missed a great chance just 10 seconds after the kick off. Indian striker Balwant Singh missed to slot the header in what would have been a dream start for them.
But the moment which the home team and the fans were eagerly waiting to see at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium didn't take that long to come.
Chennai got a penalty after Abhishek Das was fouled in the box by Kerala defender Gurwinder Singh.
The penalty shot was taken by former Brazilian midfielder Elano Blumer, who calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner and David James couldn't stop it from going in.
The opening goal sent the Chennai crowd on a home run as co-owner Abhishek Bachchan jumped in joy.
Kerala came very close to equalising when CS Sabeeth hit the woodwork and the ball bounced off in the 6-yard area. Kerala were dominating the possession but lacking finish.
The home team took full advantage of it and in the 40th minute Mendoza came close to give Chennai a double-goal cushion.
The Colombian came up with a curling shot but James was up to the task and made a terrific save. Chennai went 1-0 up at half time.
If the first half was exhilarating, the second half was even more thrilling.
The visitors showed some improved effort early on and equalised through an Iain Hume strike in the 50th minute. The goal was welcomed by Kerala co-owner Sachin Tendulkar, clad in yellow Kerala Blasters FC jersey, who too showed some rare emotions as Tamil Superstar Rajni looked on.
But the home team didn't take long to regain the lead. Mendy attempted a daring bicycle kick to score in the 63rd minute after Elano's free-kick was directed towards the French defender through a header by Harmanjot Khabra. Veteran Kerala goalkeeper David James failed to react and was stunned by the suddenness and perfect execution.
Kerala too tried to equalise, making several chances later on, but their efforts were undone by a resolute Chennai defence led by Gouramangi that helped Chennai clinch victory in the Southern derby and also their first home game.
With this win, Chennaiyin FC are now in second spot in the standings with six points from two matches while Kerala remain winless.
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