The Marina Machans will look to bounce back in their next match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

Chennaiyin FC suffered an away day loss against Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League 2024-25 on Sunday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Chennaiyin were also without Connor Shields, who fell sick and was unavailable for the game. Another notable absentee was their defender PC Laldinpuia who missed out because of a suspension. Replacing Shields was Lukas Brambilla, and Mandar Rao Dessai played left-back to replace Laldinpuia.

The travelling Marina Machans started positively, with Brambilla stinging the goalkeeper’s palms with a free-kick from a tight angle. Minutes later, Wilmar Jordan Gil brilliantly outmuscled two Kerala defenders but narrowly missed the back of the net with a lobbed effort.

Chennaiyin were solid at the back also in the first half, and Edwards probed astutely to deny a 2-v-1 breakaway as it approached the half-hour mark. Brambilla stayed alert enough to clear off the goal line after Kerala's set-piece, and Mohammad Nawaz produced bold goalkeeping to keep his clean sheet intact just before the interval.

Kerala forged ahead in the second half when Jesus Jimenez tapped the ball in at close range. Chennaiyin responded immediately though after conceding the goal and almost equalized through Farukh Choudhary, whose volley went over the bar. The next moment, a last-ditch block denied Brambilla what was to be his equalizing goal. Kerala again scored the second goal in the 70th minute before adding a third in stoppage time.

Chennaiyin will be seeking to be back on track as they return for their next match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant on Saturday, November 30.