FULL-TIME: CHENNAYIN FC 3-4 FC GOA
90+4' Sergio Lobera is shown a yellow card for protesting after the game comes to a screeching halt.
90+1' GOAL CHENNAYIN! There is no shortage of drama here at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. Crivellaro receives the ball from a corner and curls in a delightful ball into the far corner. Edwin Vanspaul is sent off for a second yellow card.
90' Germanpreet hits a diagonal ball which is kept alive by Firtulescu as the forwards lays it off for the midfielder to unleash a stinging drive saved in the knick of the time by Nawaz.
88' Chhangte turns around Serinton and cuts it back to Jerry who fails to find the winger who has his face towards the goal.
86' The referee is forced to go for his book once again as Vanspaul brings down Manvir down. Chhangte is taken off the ball by Seriton who has kept the Chennayin winger under check.
84' Yellow card for simulation! Crivellaro goes down quite easily inside the box after Mandar tries to tackle him from a Valskis pass.
82' Pena is booked by the referee as pulls Crivellaro back who tries to break away from the middle. The free-kick from Crivellaro, however, is straight down the goalkeeper's throat.
79' Chhangte chases a long ball on the flank and beats Mourtada to it. Nawaz flies out of the box and brings the youngster down and is rightly shown a yellow card.
77' Jahouh is lucky to get away with a shirt tug on Firtulescu as he hauls off Jerry off the ball inside the ball.
75' The momentum tilts slightly towards in Goa's favour as Lobera's men have a spell of possession. Jackichand Singh is taken off for Manvir Singh. Owen Coyle takes off goalscorer Andre Schembri to send in Dragos Firtulescu.
73' Brandon receives a ball from Coro and notices that Kaith is off his line. He goes for a chip over the goalkeeper but Kaith spots the trajectory and collects it calmly.
71' Sergio Lobera takes off Boumous to send in Edu Bedia. Lenny comes up with a timely intervention after Crivellaro dances past two defenders and tries to find Valskis who makes a run at the far post.
69' Germanpreet goes for an audacious long-ranger from outside the box after receiving a ball from Schembri, but the ball was always the rise and soars harmlessly over the crossbar.
65' The raging momentum of the second half is brought down a bit as Goian lunges into a late tackle to bring down Brandon and goes into the referee's book.
63' CORO MAKES IT 4-2! Goa hits back in emphatic fashion. Coro escapes the offside trap and latches on to Boumous' throughball. The striker just has the goalkeeper to beat and he does it easily to give Goa a two-goal cushion.
59' SECOND FOR CHENNAYIN! Chhangte leaves Seriton in a heap as he puts Valskis who lays it off for Crivellaro. The Brazilian makes no mistakes as he stabs home a second goal. It's game on!
57' SCHEMBRI SCORES! There is a glimmer of hope for Chennaiyin. Mourtada's headed clearance from the free kick results in a Chennayin corner which Crivellaro whips in perfectly for Schembri who is left unmarked by Jahouh and the forwards heads in from point-blank range.
55' Chennaiyin has showed more sting in the attack from the beginning but messed up simple passes in the final third. Chhangte plays a ball straight to Lenny in an attempt to find Schembri in the middle. The winger latches on to the clearance and tripped by Lenny outside the box.
53' Vanspaul is laid off a rolling ball by Crivellaro which the full back smashes on the volley but into the stands.
51' Chennaiyin has showed real urgency in the second half as has won three set-pieces. The host wins another corner which is wasted as Crivellaro hits the ball away from his teammates inside the box.
50' Nawaz is called into action twice in the span of a minute as Chennaiyin wins a free kick in a dangerous position on the left side and then collects a Thapa cross from the spill over.
49' Close! Pena loses the ball to Thapa who shoots through a crowd of orange shirts as the shot just grazes the near post.
48' Chennaiyin wins a free kick after Mandar fouls Valskis on the right. Crivellaro whips in a delightful ball which Valskis is unable to get it past the keeper.
46' Second half begins! Goa wins a corner right away but the Tondonba clears away the danger.
HALF-TIME: CHENNAIYIN FC 0-3 FC GOA
45+1' GOA 3-0! Chennaiyin cannot seem to look past its mistakes as a cross from the right falls for Boumous who is left unmarked by the two centre-backs. The Frenchman takes his time to smash the ball past the keeper to give Goa a commanding lead.
41' GOA DOUBLES THE LEAD! Another piece of sloppy defending from Chennaiyin gifts away another goal to Goa. Goain does not weigh his back pass towards Vishal Kaith and Brandon is on to it immediately and finishes it with a half-volley.
39' Chennaiyin wins a corner which is whipped in for a Goain header by Crivellaro but the centre-back is a little late to direct the ball into the net.
37' Chhangte gets into the box and tries to find Schembri in the middle which is deflected by Mourtada. Valskis tries to play Goain towards the ball as the Chennaiyin skipper goes down inside the box after Mourtada tackle. However, the referee says play on.
35' Boumous releases Jackichand on the left but Lucian Goian puts in a clean tackle to take the ball off him. Goa recycles the ball as Brandon whips in another cross to find Jahouh lurking at the far post, but the delivery was too heavy for anyone to reach.
32' Jahouh hauls Schembri off the ball just outside the penalty area as Crivellaro stands over the set-piece. Pena jumps over Valskis to head it away as Goa brings out the ball from the back.
30' Goa looks comfortable in possession but Jackichand is having difficulties getting past Tondonba who puts in a sliding tackle to rob the ball off the Goan winger.
26' GOAL GOA! Tondonba Singh gives away the ball on the right to Coro, which puts it towards Boumous who lays it off for Jahouh who curls it into the back of the net to give Goa the lead. The celebration from the midfielder is interrupted by boos from the local fans.
25' Chennayin wins its first set-piece, a free kick on the right, which Mourtada Fall does well to head away to safety. Chhangte barges in from the left as Lenny Rodrigues is booked for stamping on Thapa's foot.
23' Nothing is working for Goa here. Its defenders look flat footed whenever Chennaiyin strings a couple of passes together while the crossing from Jahouh and Jackichand has been mediocre at best.
21' There are pockets of space opening up in the Goa backline as Thapa threads a throughball towards Chhangte who pounces on the ball, but is well offside.
19' A delightful one-touch move from Crivellaro and Valskis puts Chhangte through to the near post, but the youngster slips in the final moment and lets it roll out of play.
17' Schembri clips Brandon in the centre of the pitch as the Goa man is down on the pitch, nursing his ankle, but gets up and play resumes.
15' Valskis twists and turns but loses the ball to Brandon as Goa breaks away. The midfielder races away on the left and wins a corner which he takes. Much like their previous three set-pieces, the corner is another wasted opportunity for the Gaurs.
12' There is an interesting battle brewing on the right side of the pitch between Jackichand and Tondonba Singh which the latter wins by cutting out a cross from the Goa forward, who has often used the width to create chances.
10' It has been an open-ended game so far with Goa dominating the chances. The Gaurs win a third corner which is taken short by Brandon which allows Chennaiyin to close down in the middle and counter. Seriton tracks Chhangte's movement to kill off another counter attack from the host.
8' Crivellaro spots a run from Chhangte on the left and lobs a ball over the defence into his path. Lenny Rodrigues comes in the way with a vital deflection to cut off the danger.
6' Boumous drifts inwards towards the far post anticipating a delivery from Jackichand, but the midfielder hits a wayward cross which results in a Chennaiyin goal kick.
4' Andre Schembri sneaks into the box from the right off a punt from behind as Jahouh pushes him from behind which goes unpunished by referee Umesh Bora.
2' Goa wins a second corner in as many minutes as Brandon's set-piece lands for Mandar Rao Dessai who lays it in Boumous' path but the winger is stopped it in his tracks by the Chennaiyin defence.
1' Here we go! Goa begins the proceedings from right to left. Jackichand Singh wins the ball on the left and pings it into the far post and wins a corner for the visitor.
The players are out of the tunnel for the national anthem. Few more minutes to kick off...
Lineups
- Form guide: In the past five matches, FC Goa has scored 18 goals to Chennaiyin's 10 while keeping 3 cleansheets while today's host has managed a single cleansheet in the past five games. FC Goa, which is looking for a fourth win on the trot, needs to win by a goal difference of two in order to finish 2019 on top of the table.
PREVIEW
Things don’t appear to be all bad for Chennaiyin FC at the moment. It has been unbeaten in the last four matches since the international break and head coach Owen Coyle, who came in two weeks ago, has provided a few ‘tweaks’ to the club, which has helped yield positive results.
But the reality of playing catch-up in the Indian Super League (ISL) is not lost on Coyle. The biggest test yet comes in the form of table-topper FC Goa at the Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.
Under Coyle, Chennaiyin has managed to score early and put the pressure back on the opposition. The side hadn’t scored a first-half goal in the ISL in nine previous matches before the Scotsman took charge. Chennaiyin has scored four first-half goals in the last two games, including three in the opening half of the win against Kerala Blasters.
Lobera credits Coyle’s influence
Goa coach Sergio Lobera pointed out the difference in approach at Chennaiyin which has been brought by Coyle’s arrival. “They play with more intensity and have a good balance in both offence and defence. They have played two matches and deserved to win two matches,” he said on Tuesday.
A sign of the team forming in the image of Coyle has been the direct approach employed in the last two games. The team completed just 201 and 155 passes — lowest count this season against Jamshedpur FC and Blasters. Chennaiyin’s second goal against Blasters where it won the ball and moved upfield with seven passes in the space of 10 seconds to score what was effectively the winner could be credited to this new approach.
“We want to move quickly with the ball and be incisive in attack. Possession without penetration is nothing. We are finding ways for that penetration,” said Coyle, on his team’s playing style.
Goa, which likes to enjoy possession and dictate play, has not been at its best when it has been put under pressure. Lobera labelled the 3-0 win over Odisha on Sunday, his “worst home game” in his time in India. The two late howlers from goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh had helped Goa end up with a flattering scoreline. In an ill-disciplined and mistake-ridden season, Lobera is keen for improved showing as the second leg of the team’s season commences against Chennaiyin.
“In the last match (against Odisha FC), we had too much distance between the lines and it’s difficult to combine in attack and defence.”
“I think it’s important to keep the possession, press the opposition team, recover the ball faster. In the last match, the opponent team had the ball in situations very easily and were very comfortable. I think intensity is the most important thing,” felt Lobera.
Corominas key for erratic Goa
The return of forward Ferran Corominas has helped Lobera mask his team’s inconsistent start to the season. Despite missing three matches, Corominas has already notched up six goals in the league. He has also made a habit of scoring regularly against Chennaiyin with four goals in the last four meetings against it.
The Spaniard’s ability to drop deep into midfield and set up the runners, Brandon Fernandes and Seiminlen Doungel, in behind the defence will be crucial to how Goa plays. Chennaiyin’s defence will have a tough job containing him without centre-back Eli Sabia, who is suspended for the clash.
In attack, Chennaiyin will rely on the services of Rafael Crivellaro, who has created 18 chances, and the speed of winger Lallianzuala Chhangte to hurt Goa on the break.
According to Coyle, Chhangte’s efforts on the pitch epitomised his team’s football and reiterated that his team will look to attack Goa. A smash-and-grab win, which could propel it to the doorstep of the top-four race, would do for Chennaiyin.
MATCH BROADCAST DETAILS:
Chennaiyin FC vs FC Goa will be shown on Star Sports network and can also be streamed live on Hotstar. The kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM IST.
Comments
SHARE