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- That is all from my side. Thanks for joining me and stay tuned for our post-match thoughts on our ISL podcast, 'The Full Time Show'.
Full time: Chennaiyin 4-1 Jamshedpur - A brace from Valskis and goals from Schembri and Chhangte seal a comfortable win for Chennaiyin. It is on the sixth spot, three points away from the fourth-placed Odisha.
90+5' - Farukh tries an overhead kick! But his optimistic attempt goes in vain as nothing comes off it. And off goes the whistle. Game over!
90+4' - Thapa finds Thoi on the right side with a wonderful pass. Thoi has space and time in hand but he decides to shoot from distance and he misses it badly.
90+2' - Oh no! Valskis is limping. He seems to have hurt his leg. Chennai has about three minutes more to play here.
90' - Five minutes have been added on here.
89' - Final change for Chennaiyin: Masih on, Chhangte off. Finally a defensive change from Coyle. Seems he is convinced the win is sealed here!
87' - GOAL! It's 4-1 for Chennaiyin and seems it's all but over for Jamshedpur. Chhangte adds the fourth after Dragos' first-time shot was blocked by Subrata. Chhangte slammed the second ball into the net and followed it with a celebration, planting a kiss on the camera.
86' - Second change for Chennai: Dragos on, Crivellaro off. Again, an attacking change!
85' - Amarjit takes a shot but it is wide. That is it for Amarjit tonight -- he makes way for Isaac.
83' - Jamshedpur is going to bring in Isaac soon. Isaac earlier played for Chennaiyin.
82' - A long ball is played for Castel in the box. Castel tries to chest it down instead of going for the header, and Goian takes control of it. He, however, wanted Kaith to take charge.
77' - First change for Chennaiyin - Thoi comes on for Schembri. Despite the lead, Coyle has made an attacking change. Chennai wants more goals here!
75' - GOAL! Nerijus Valskis adds another and makes it 3-1 for Chennaiyin! He scores his 10th goal of the season to become the top scorer! Goian finds Thapa who sends a perfect through ball for Valskis up front. The Lithuanian striker finishes off in style and follows it with the classic 'Ronaldo' celebration!
71' - GOAL! Sergio Castel makes it 2-1 for Jamshedpur! Joyner's cross from the right is sent into the net by a header from Castel. Can Jamshedpur bounce back here?
68' - A shot from distance from Acosta but Kaith drops down and collects it. He gets a pat on the back from defender Goian for that. Still 2-0 in favour of Chennaiyin!
65' - In an off-the-ball encounter, a frustrated Castel has shoulder barged Chennaiyin's Renthlei. No booking from the Umesh Bora, the ref.
65' - Free-kick for Jamshedpur in a tight position, close to the box. Acosta swings it in but sends it far, far away from his player.
60' - OVER! Valskis blasts the ball over the net after Crivellaro pulled the ball back for the number 9, before making the move from the right. Should have been another goal for Chennaiyin!
57' - Close! Farukh almost finds the net after Monroy picks him out at the near post with a pass. It all started from a free-kick which was played short by Acosta to Monroy, which looked like a training ground routine.
54' - Crivellaro troubles Jamshedpur from the left wing as he releases Chhangte in the box. Memo, however, comes to the visitor's rescue to clear the danger.
50' - Crivellaro takes the third corner for Chennai. His delivery is aimed for Sabia but coming great comes off it. Earlier, Chhangte's move in the box from the left was cleared out by Gahlot.
46' - Second half starts. Vineeth has been brought on for Grande in Jamshedpur's attack.
Half time: Chennaiyin 2-0 Jamshedpur - Goals from Valskis (13') and Schembri (43') keep Chennaiyin in the lead at the break.
45+1' - Free-kick for Jamshedpur and Acosta takes it. Kaith pushes it out for a corner. From the set-piece by Monroy, Kaith punches it behind for a second corner. Jairu takes the corner, which is cleared away by the Chennaiyin defence. The whistle goes off!
45' - Castel goes close to the near post and he falls down after some contact with Goian. He appeals for a penalty-kick but the referee is not interested! Two minutes added on.
43' - GOAL! Andre Schembri finally gets his goal and it's Chennaiyin 2-0 Jamshedpur! He buries the header off a corner-kick from Crivellaro and the host has a two-goal lead, just before half-time.
42' - SAVE! Subrata rises high and blocks Valskis' left-footer after the goal scorer and Crivellaro combined beautifully on the counter.
39' - Castel shoots wide after a deflection! Acosta, from the left side, crosses the ball for Castel in front of goal. Castel takes a turn and is clipped in the process, which is why his shot goes wide. He urges for a penalty kick but the referee isn't convinced.
37' - WIDE! Schembri's left-footed shot from close distance goes wide of the far post. Crivellaro set him up with a pass in the box after Thapa started the move in midfield. Chennaiyin could have been 3-0 up by now!
34' - Acosta fires a beautiful cross from the left flank but it is played too close to the goalkeeper. Kaith, thus, collects it although Grande was making his run to get to it.
33' - OVER! Jairu whips in a cross from the left wing to pick out Castel in the box. Castel makes the jump a bit too early as he heads the ball over the net!
31' - Free-kick for Chennaiyin and Crivellaro steps up for it. He loops the ball into the box, which Farukh heads away. The ball goes up in the air before Subrata collects it in his second attempt.
28' - A look at the stats indicates Jamshedpur is enjoying more of the ball. The ball possession is Chennaiyin 47%- 53% Jamshedpur. However, Jamshedpur has had no shots on target.
24' - Crivellaro, from the right side of the box, shoots over the bar after Schembri finds him with a squared pass.
17' - Corner for Chennai and Crivellaro is on it. Schembri gets his head to the delivery but his header goes wide. That could have been 2-0 because Subrata had come off the goal line.
14' - Nearly punished! Goian is forced to pull off a last-minute tackle to deny Farukh in the box after Kaith came off the line, leaving the goal empty.
13' - GOAL! Nerijus Valskis makes it Chennaiyin 1-0 Jamshedpur! After a throw-in, Schembri sets up Valskis perfectly in the box before Valskis slots the ball home.
12' - Crivellaro sends a pass for Valskis in the box but Valskis fails to control it. Moments later, Jamshedpur finally shows some attacking intent as Farukh tries to get the better of Jerry L on the right wing.
8' - Thapa and Crivellaro both were stationed near the ball but Criveallaro takes it. His left-footed shot flies over the bar.
7' - Free-kick to Chennai from a decent position. Crivellaro is said to have been fouled by Gahlot. The set-piece will be taken by Crivellaro himself, some 20 yards away from goal.
5' - Valskis gets the ball inside the Jamshedpur box and the Chennai striker is onside. However, the young Gahlot does his defensive duty well to keep Valskis under control by clearing the ball.
4' - Great ball in the box by Vanspaul from the right side. Crivellaro picks it but sends it over the bar. Good exchange of passes between the two.
2' - Chhangte wins the ball from the right wing and finds Crivellaro in the middle with a pass. Crivellaro runs with the ball at his feet but Amarjit puts in a tackle to block the Chennaiyin attacker.
1' - Kick-off! Chennaiyin vs Jamshedpur begins.
- Our correspondent Shyam Vasudevan has shared a photo of the venue. The crowd looks sparse. Kick-off is under ten minutes.
- Sergio Castel returns for Jamshedpur from injury. That comes as a big boost for the visitor, which also has Grande up top. This will be the first time the two will play together. It's looking like a 4-4-2 shape for Jamshedpur. Also, Tiri is missing from the defence which means Gahlot is slotted in. On the other hand, Chennai is unchanged from its win over NEUFC. The home side's formation seems 4-2-3-1.
Line-ups
Chennaiyin XI: Kaith, Jerry L, Sabia, Goian, Renthlei, Crivellaro, Vanspaul, Chhangte, Thapa, Schembri, Valskis.
Jamshedpur XI: Subrata, Jairu, Memo, Gahlot, Joyner, Farukh, Acosta, Amarjit, Piti, Grande, Castel.
Match preview (By Shyam Vasudevan )
It's been over two years since Chennaiyin FC last won more than two league games on the trot. And that run came in the side's Indian Super League (ISL) title-winning campaign in 2017-18.
The club endured a nightmarish season last year as it finished at the bottom of the ISL table and subsequently saw the departure of coach John Gregory in November. His successor, Owen Coyle, has managed a remarkable turnaround. In his six games in charge, the Scotsman has marshalled the two-time ISL champion to three wins and a draw and the side has an outside chance of making the playoffs.
Coming off a refreshing 2-0 win over NorthEast United, Coyle's men will take on an equally hungry Jamshedpur FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today.
Jamshedpur and Chennaiyin are both on the same boat – neither club can afford to drop any points going forward.
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And Coyle is well aware of the challenge. “We have given ourselves a lot to do with our start. But now we are playing well, scoring goals and have given ourselves a chance to climb the table. Jamshedpur has a fine side and great coach but we will concentrate on what we can do. If we play to our maximum, it gives us a chance to close in on a playoff spot and make an exciting end to the league,” he said on the eve of the match.
Coyle's first game in the ISL was in fact against Jamshedpur, a game that ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw. With his side looking much better now, the 53-year-old is eager to make amends.
“We should have left that game with the three points. That being said, it was a good introduction to the league. Jamshedpur is coming after a big lift, having won against Kerala Blasters. For us, what was important we managed to score goals. We have shown we are dangerous offensively. But we need to have some balance. I think we are moving in the right direction but we are nowhere near being the finished article.”
Jamshedpur also comes into the tie on the high of snapping its six-match winless run as it secured 3-2 win over Kerala Blasters last week. Coach Antonio Iriondo remains optimistic about his side's chances, despite a poor away record. “Every game is like a final for us from here on. It is true that we have one win away from home but we have had a few draws and some games we could have won. Now the team is better with Noe (Acosta) and Sergio (Castel) back. We are hoping that we get more wins and things will be better from here on.”
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Taking note of the home side's spirited attacking displays over the last few games, the Spaniard said: “Chennaiyin have a great attacking team. They have changed spirit in matches. They didn't start very good but we see them now in the fight for the playoffs.”
Jamshedpur will be boosted by ace striker Sergio Castel's return but will miss the services of defensive mainstay Tiri, who suffered a rib injury in the previous game. Piti will miss the game, having not travelled with the team, while Chennaiyin is likely to miss Germanpret Singh, who is carrying a niggle.
Match details
Chennayin vs Jamshedpur can be watched on the Star Sports network and can also be streamed live on Hotstar. Kick-off is at 7:30 PM IST.
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