FULL-TIME: ODISHA FC 2-0 CHENNAIYIN FC
90+4' Miss! Martin Perez shows excellent composure to evade two challenges on the left flank and crosses the ball towards Aridane who is unmarked. The striker delays his shot which allows Jerry to close down the angle.
90+1' Goian's clearance hits the referee on the thigh as Perez Guedes demands a booking for the centre-back. The referee who had blown the whistle for the play to stop books the Argentinian for remonstrating.
89' Blocked! Valskis attacks a dangerous cross from the left side as Daniel holds off the striker to win an important goal kick for Odisha.
88' Chennaiyin wins a free kick on the right as Firtulescue skies his delivery which falls comfortably for Dorrensorro.
86' Nandhakumar races off on the right towards the edge of the area and tries to go for the far corner but his shot does not trouble Vishal Kaith.
84' Rahim Ali shakes off a challenge from Daniel and takes a shot at the goal but the ball curls wide off the post.
82' Xisco wastes a corner kick as the ball loops away over the bar. Substitution: Jerry Mawihmingthanga is replaced by Daniel Lalhlimpuia.
81' Odisha's Jerry crosses into the box which falls for Nandhakumar who slips on the edge of the box as Goian clears the ball.
79' Substitution: Rahim Ali replaces Chhangte while Schembri is taken off for Firtulescu.
77' Chennaiyin is chasing shadows here as its midfield was devoid of any energy or creativity which has allowed Xisco and Vinit Rai to pick out the backline with ease.
74' Chhangte and Delgado clatter into each other at the near post as the referee signals a corner kick for Chennaiyin. The corner is taken short by Crivellaro who puts in a good cross but the Schembri is flagged offside.
72' Substitution: Vinit Rai is stretchered off the pitch as Bikramjit Singh replaces him in the middle.
70' Chennaiyin's Jerry delays his overlapping run on the right and is unable to reach Thapa's pass from the centre. The visitors don't look confident enough to take the game to Odisha.
68' Crivellaro jumps over Tebar as the linesman raises his flag for the foul and Chennaiyin wastes another chance. Substitution: Perez Guedes is brought on for Xisci Hernandez.
67' Schembri crosses towards the near post as Valskis and Bora miss the ball completely. Dorrensorro gets his fingertips to the ball as Chennaiyin wins a corner.
65' Thapa is booked by the referee after he pulls back Xisco who tries to break away through the middle.
63' Bora puts in a good block to keep out Valskis' attempt at the near post. Odisha clears the corner as Chennaiyin comes back through Chhangte. Valskis goes down in the box after he is robbed off the ball by Bora but the referee remains unmoved as the centre-back gets to the ball first.
61' Nandhakumar receives the ball from Aridane on the left and put in a cross at the far post which is wide off Xisco as Thapa clears the ball.
58' Valskis jumps over Delgado as they go for a goal kick from Vishal Kaith. The referee warns the Chennaiyin striker.
56' Another free kick on the left falls for Schembri who hits straight into Tebar in the box. Thapa pulls the trigger after collecting the second-ball but Nandhakumar wins back the ball for Odisha.
55' Thapa wins a free kick outside the box as Crivellaro's delivery fails to threaten the home defence. Chennaiyin has the possession but in unable to assert itself in the final third.
53' Chhangte is release on the left by Crivellaro as the winger squares off a pass for Valskis. The Lithuanian doesn't check his run and Odisha clears it away.
51' Odisha wins back the ball from Chennaiyin's second corner as a cross from Xisco crosses into the box as Jerry Lalrinzuala wins the battle against his namesake Jerry Mawihmingthanga to hack the ball away to safety.
48' Germanpreet threads a ball through the Odisha backline as Bora fails to clear the ball and gifts away a corner. Chennaiyin wins another corner kick after the Odisha defence desperately clear the ball.
46' Second half begins! Bora mops up a loose ball after Chhangte chases a long ball down the left flank.
HALF-TIME: ODISHA FC 2-0 CHENNAIYIN FC
45+2' Chennaiyin's Jerry makes a mess of a simple pass from Anirudh Thapa as the referee blows the whistle soon after Odisha's throw-in, bringing an end to first half.
45' Xisco wins the ball on the left and tries to put Aridane through, but Chennaiyin's Jerry puts in a strong challenge to take the ball off him.
41' VINIT RAI WITH A SCREAMER! Aridane finds himself on the edge of the box surrounded by three defenders as he peddles back a pass to Tebar who lays it off for Vinit Rai, who unleashes a thunderbolt from outside the box. 2-0 Odisha.
37' GOAL ODISHA! The Chennaiyin defence presses the panic button after Aridane squares off a pass from the right. Nandhakumar Sekar misses the ball at the near post as Vishal Kaith also misses the ball which falls for Jerry with a simple tap-in to put the host in the lead.
34' Crivellaro's corner kick is wide as Goian chases it to the byline and feeds Thapa deep in the 18-yard box. Vinit Rai wins back the possession and Odisha survives.
32' Vinit Rai cuts out a cross from Chennaiyin's Jerry but gives away a corner from the resultant throw-in after coming under challenge from Germanpreet.
29' Goian blocks a shot from Tebar from point-blank from the corner for another corner for Odisha but the home team wastes the opportunity by going for a short corner.
28' Chennaiyin wins a free kick in the centre as Crivellaro floats the ball over the pack of blue shirts. Dorrensoro leaps off his line but fails to land his punch on the ball and lands awkwardly.
26' Wide! Xisco gets to the byline and cuts it back towards the far post for Nandhakumar. With the goal wide open, the winger skies his shot into the orbit.
24' PENALTY FOR CHENNAIYIN AND VALSKIS MISSES! Shubham Sarangi pulls down Valsskis inside the box and the referee has no choice but to point to the spot. However, the striker blazes his spot kick over the bar.
21' No Goal! Odisha's second corner in as many minutes is headed into the net by Gaurav Bora but the referee has blown the whistle even before the ball went into the net after he spots Vishal Kaith goes down at the near post.
19' Tebar wins a free kick for Odisha on the right after he is brought down by Germanpreet. Goian clears the delivery comfortably as the host wins a corner.
17' Narayan Das gets a throw-in into the box for Aridane, who heads it into the path of Vinit Rai who tries to take on the bounce but manages to hit it straight into a cluster of yellow shirts.
15' Nandhakumar Sekar races off on the left side and squares a pass at the back for Aridane, but Eli Sabia intercepts the ball and Chennaiyin clears the line.
13' Thapa wins the ball in his own half and plays it towards Crivellaro who cuts in from the left and lays it off for Schembri but Delgado does well to take the ball off him.
10' First chance of the game falls for Chennaiyin as Crivellaro wins a free kick in a dangerous position. The Brazilian curls the ball towards the far post which Dorrenssaro spills on the first attempt but picks it up on the bounce.
8' It has been a tepid start to the game and the pitch is certainly not helping. Vishal Kaith tries to hit a back pass long, but the ball launches into the air awkwardly and falls for Eli Sabia outside the box as the centre-back heads it away.
6' Chhangte races off towards the byline on the left and curls a low cross into the box which Delgado clears easily.
4' Chhangte and Sarangi battle it out on the left. The Odisha full-back's foot is stuck as he tries to block Chhangte's access to the ball and the referee blows the whistle.
3' The turf has not settled in yet as there are chunks of grass coming off in the midfield. Chennaiyin's Jerry lays off a ball towards Aridane in the centre but Goian blocks the move and Chennaiyin move forward.
1' Here we go! Chennaiyin begins the proceedings from left to right. Germanpreet goes for the goal from the centre which is straight to Dorronsoro.
- The players are out on the pitch for the Indian national anthem. With Khelo Indian University Games formally launched in the Kalinga stadium complex few hours ago, Indian Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, alongside other dignitaries, is in attendance for the match. The Indian men's hockey team, which trains few metres away from the pitch, is also watching the match.
What's at stake?
Chennaiyin, which has picked up just nine points from nine games this season, is ninth in the standings. A win will lift it to seventh and keep its hopes for a play-offs spot alive. Odisha is sixth in the table with 12 points from 10 games and will move to fifth in the standings if it beats Chennaiyin. Both the teams still stay rooted to their positions if the match ends in a draw.
Lineups
Match preview:
Odisha FC
is all set to take on
Chennaiyin FC in what is a crucial ISL encounter for both sides at the Kalinga Stadium here on Monday.
A win against Chennaiyin can take Odisha to within a point of fourth-placed Mumbai City FC. And with the league entering a decisive phase, Josep Gombau’s side cannot afford a slip-up.
Chennaiyin is also at a stage where anything other than three points could render the gap between it and the top four clubs too much to cut down. It is currently eighth on the table with nine points but a win will see the club draw level with Odisha which is sixth.
For all the emphasis on the possession-based philosophy that Gombau advocates, results have been a mixed bag for his team. However, it is coming off a 2-1 win over Jamshedpur and will look to continue its form.
But Gombau must fix his side’s vulnerability on set-pieces. Odisha has scored the joint lowest amount of goals from set-pieces this season so far (2). A more troublesome stat for the coach is on the defensive. Out of the 15 goals it has conceded, seven of them have come from set-pieces (most by any team). The likes of Carlos Delgado will have to marshall the backline better.
Odisha has also had trouble closing out games. It generally tends to perform better in the first half before running out of steam in the second. Of the 13 goals it has scored, only five have come in the second half of games and 10 out of the 15 goals it has shipped have been in the second half. The Odisha think-tank must figure out the reason behind this trend and find a remedy soon enough.
The big worry for Chennaiyin will be the inability to string a couple of wins together. It has just two wins in nine games and is yet to win consecutive ISL games since the start of last season. The visitor is yet to keep a clean sheet under Owen Coyle, who has been in charge for three games. The inconsistent displays from the likes of Lucian Goian have not helped. Thankfully, Eli Sabia returns after suspension for Coyle.
Chennaiyin’s attack will most definitely revolve around Rafael Crivellaro. The Brazilian playmaker has been exceptional in the last three games under Coyle. He was involved in four goals in these three games and has created 21 chances in the season so far, second only to FC Goa’s Brandon Fernandes.
Chennaiyin is yet to win away from home this season and Monday will be the perfect time to get one. For Odisha, the sights will be set on a second consecutive win at the Kalinga Stadium.
The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports network and will be streamed on Hotstar.
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