Missed the last game? Catch up with all the action from the Chennaiyin FC vs Odisha FC game on our ISL special podcast, The Full Time Show:
FULL-TIME: CHENNAIYIN FC 2-2 ODISHA FC
90+3' There is some last-minute drama as there are two balls on the pitch at the same time. Chennaiyin narrowly misses scoring the winner through the melee inside the box as Chhangte takes the final kick of the match which is blocked by Narayan Das. There seems to be more going despite the final whistle as the Chennaiyin coaching staff is involved in some pushing and shoving involving Diawandou Diagne as the referees jump in to break it apart.
90+1' Valskis is fouled on the left as Firtulescu's looping delivery finds the striker's head. However, he is unable to find the bottom corner with his header.
89' Sarangi cuts out a pass from Firtulescu as Chennaiyin throws everything it has in the final minutes. There will be three minutes of added time and another dramatic finish is very much on the cards.
86' A draw is not a good result for either of the teams as Odisha will remain rooted to sixth in the table while Chennaiyin FC can only move one place to eighth. Shubham Sarangi pounces on a loose ball inside the box and tries to go for the glory as he misses the target.
83' ODISHA EQUALISES AGAIN! What a second half are we seeing here. Odisha gets the ball near the box as Martin Guedes gets the ball into Aridane Santana's path who smashes it on volley to beat the keeper.
80' A diagonal ball from the left lands in a cluster of white and blue jerseys as Vishal does not take any chances as he punches it away to safety.
78' The host makes its third change of the night as Rahim Ali replaces Rafael Crivellaro up front.
76' Valskis is brought down by Narayan Das inside the box as the striker appeals for a penalty kick. The referee is still unmoved and Odisha survives.
71' CHENNAIYIN LEADS AGAIN! The substitutions made by Gambau have clearly backfired as Odisha defence leaves Valskis free inside the box from a corner as the striker thumps a header past Bikramjeet to put the host back in the lead.
71' Blocked! Chhangte gets through and shoots at the far post but Sarangi sticks his foot out to block the powerful effort.
68' Gambau takes the booked Carlos Delgado off the pitch for Marting Guedes as Marcos Tebar slots in at centre-back. Dragos Firtulescu comes on for Chennaiyin as he replaces Thoi Singh.
65' Bikramjeet gets a shot on target as he drifts in from the left and draws a save out of Bikramjeet. Thapa delivers a brilliant ball from a free-kick for Valskis who is unable to power the ball past the goalkeeper. It's all Chennaiyin for now.
63' Chennaiyin has come out a different team after the first half as the link up between Chhangte, Crivellaro and Valskis has improved by leaps.
61' Close! Chhangte's through ball to Valskis puts the Odisha defence on high alert. However, Crivellaro hits the post with his headed effort after Arshdeep Singh manages to get a finger to get the deflection.
58' Both the substitutes, Bikramjeet Singh and Germanpreet Singh were guilty off giving away the ball as the game is blown wide open.
54' ODISHA EQUALISES! What a reply from Odisha FC. Jerry gets on to a loose ball inside the box and lays it off for Xisco who is left unmarked inside the box and the midfielder calmly slots home the equaliser.
51' GOAL CHENNAIYIN! Valskis breaks the deadlock and the Chennai crowd goes wild. Bikramjeet Singh gives away the ball outside the ball as Thoi Singh flashes it across the goalmouth for Valskis to stab home from close range.
48' Thoi Singh is furious at the assistant referee after he is flagged off for a foul on Narayan Das.
46' Chennaiyin FC starts the play in the second half. Both teams need to find the final touch to find that elusive goal after multiple close chances in the first half. John Gregory goes for a half-time change as he replces Masih Saighani with Germanpreet Singh. Josep Gambau takes off Vinit Rai, who has already booked, to send in Bikramjit Singh.
HALF-TIME: CHENNAIYIN FC 0-0 ODISHA FC
45+1' WIDE! Jerry and Aridane play one two on the right as the former gets into the box and shoots at the far post which goes agonisingly wide.
43' Close! Tondonba gets to the byline on the right and whips in a cross which falls for Vanspaul who tries to curl towards the far post missing the post by few inches.
41' Josep Gambau is seen chewing on his shirt in frustration as his team kept on missing the chances.
39' Thapa receives the ball few yards outside the box and pulls the trigger as the ball takes a deflection off Delgado as the Chennaiyin wins a corner. However, the host fails to make the most of it.
36' Vinit Rai gives a free kick on the edge of the box. Thapa's set piece is flat and low as the Odisha defence easily clears the danger.
35' CLOSE! Nandakumar Sekar gets the ball on the right and drifts into the box. Vanspaul gets the ball back but ends up losing it a second later as Nandakumar lays it off for Xisco who curls a shot missing the crossbar by inches.
33' Chhangte cuts in from the left but Shubham Sarangi manages to take the ball away from him as the referee awards a goal kick to Odisha.
31' Lucian Goian fends off a charge from Jerry and tries to build a counter attack but ends up giving away the ball.
29' Odisha wins another corner as Xisco's delivery is intercepted by Vishal. The goalkeeper goes for a long throw towards Chhangte who is brought down by Tebar. Chennaiyin manages get a decent ball into the box from the set-piece but Thoi Singh is unable to get on the end of it.
26' The visitor has clearly been superior all around the pitch while Chennaiyin has made the opposition's job easy by giving away the ball in key areas.
24' Odisha wins back-to-back corners as Aridane wins a free header inside the box. The forward's header does not have the necessary direction.
22' Vinit Rai goes into the book for a dangerous challenge on Lucian Goian. Odisha comes again as Xisco put Jerry through on the right. However, Masih Saighani blocks the winger's way but Vishal kicks the ball out giving away a corner to Odisha.
20' Once again, Xisco is given too much space which allows him to thread a ball towards Nandakumar who darts into the box unmarked. However, Vishal Kaith rushes off his line to collect the ball.
18' Close! That should've been a goal. Odisha wins a free kick on the right as Xisco whips in a perfect delivery at the far post. Delgado and Aridane make the jump but are unable to get to the ball.
16' Vinit Rai goes for an overzealous challenge on Eli Sabia and is lucky enough to get away with a warning.
14' Shot! Vishal is called into action once as Xisco frees up Nandakumar Sekar on the left. The winger turns around and takes a shot at the far post but Vishal gets down quickly and palms it away.
12' Odisha's defence has not been tested so far. Crivellaro is unable to get his shot away from close range after receiving the ball from Chhangte and Delgado quickly steals the ball away from him.
10' It has been a good start to the game by the visitor. Despite, marking Xisco heavily, the Chennayin midfield has been unable to prevent the Spaniard from getting into dangerous positions. Nandakumar Sekar tries to cross into the box but Eli Sabia manages to kick it out.
8' SAVE! First signs of danger for Chennaiyin defence. Jerry and Santana combine on the right and lay it off to Xisco who drills a shot towards the bottom corner, but Vishal makes a superb save to keep it out.
6' Xisco gets near the box and curls a shot, but the ball was always on the rise as it misses the far post by quite a distance.
4' Chhangte does well to track back as Tondonba Singh gets near the byline on right and sends in a cross, but Eli Sabia clears the danger easily.
2' Chhangte gets on the ball and goes on a run on the left but Narayan Das robs him off the ball.
1' Here we go! Odisha FC begins the proceedings from left to right.
* The player are out of the tunnel for the Indian national anthem...
What's at stake?
Chennaiyin, which just got out of the bottom place after beating Hyderabad, could improve three positions and jump to sixth in the table if it beats Odisha FC. The host will move to eighth if it can draw the match on Thursday.
Odisha FC, currently placed sixth with 5 points, can move to fifth above FC Goa if Josep Gombau's men can beat Chennaiyin. A draw will not make a difference to its position.
Starting XIs
* City Football Group (CFG), which owns Premier League champion Manchester City, on Thursday became the majority stakeholder of Indian Super League (ISL) club Mumbai City FC. Read more about the deal here .
Our correspondent Aashin Prasad previews Thursday's match in Chennai
he last-gasp win over Hyderabad FC on Monday had the Chennaiyin FC supporters buzzing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here, something coach John Gregory said he hadn’t experienced since the playoff win over FC Goa in the title-winning season in 2018.
Buoyed by the first victory and goals of the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL)season, Chennaiyin FC will be keen to ride the momentum when it hosts Odisha FC on Thursday.
In effect, Josep Gombau’s men have played five successive away matches, including the game against ATK in Pune, considering its home ground in Bhubaneswar is undergoing a reconstruction process.
“We are feeling that we are always playing away. Our home stadium isn’t ready. It’s difficult to always play away matches. I expect an equal game against Chennaiyin. I hope we can score an early goal tomorrow,” said the Spanish coach.
One way of making itself at ‘home’ will be if Odisha gets an early goal, which would allow it to settle in defence and use the pace on the wings — in the form of Nandhakumar Sekar, Jerry Mwhminthanga, Narayan Das and Shubham Sarangi — to sting Chennaiyin on the break.
The home side will be mindful of Odisha’s threat and would be wary of asking its fullbacks – Edwin Vanspaul and Tondonba Singh – to push high up the pitch.
At the other end of the pitch, Gregory has continued to back his strikers, Nerijus Vaskis and Andre Schembri, who opened their accounts on Monday. ( Read the full preview here )
The match will be live on Star Sports network and streaming on Hotstar, kick-off at 7.30 pm (IST).
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