Hello and welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the clash between SC East Bengal and Chennaiyin FC.
That's all we have for tonight. We will be back again with the match between Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC. [ Preview ]
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MATCH REPORT|
Fowler comes out fighting against Eelco Schattorie in the post match presentation " I want to win every game. We are playing with what we got. Our players are giving everything. Its rich coming from you sitting there. There are positive signs there. You are just sitting there and giving criticism."
Schattorie responds, "I was making objective observation and I gave credit for the change you made in second half."
Fowler in reply, "It's easy to sit and criticise when you haven't won the game. We should a lot of fight and passion but we are being the blackball here. It's about catchup for us and we had a lot of fight. Let's start with positives here. That's what happens in football games. We have a plan A and Plan B but the first half wasn't a great performance. Lads at halftime had a few words to turn this around. We tweaked the game in second half. If we lost it would have been an injustice."
Chennaiyin FC coach Csaba Laszlo : "I am really destroyed. I think in defence SCEB had one chance. Deepak (Tangri) was good today. To concede two goals from set pieces is not okay for me. We are missing chances which is frustrating. I don't give up. I stay with my players. If quality is not there then you are suffering. It is painful. We need to keep going. My team dominated but it's not enoough. You need to be clinical if you want to stay in the top. Now we are somewhere in the middle having missed the chance to go close to top four.
[On change in EB's change in formation] I saw it. We told Memo (Moura) to stay little deeper. Why we didn't win today was because we made mistakes in set pieces. I need to analyse. Even after we conceded we had chances to score. The small things is not there. I am a human who doesn't like to lose but I am also realistic. But it's a painful draw."
Chhangte, who scored his first goal of the season, says, "The coach gave me the freedom to switch flanks. I am pretty comfortable playing either side. I prefer the left side. I am happy with the goal but I would have been happy with the win."
Full-time. It ends 2-2. What a mental last 30 minutes. How did no team come out the winner in this contest? Chennaiyin will certainly feel it had the better chances to win this game.
90'+4' CFC SUB: Rahim OFF, Ganesh ON
90'+3' EB having plenty of joy down the left channel here and dangerous crosses into the box does not find the intended targets.
90'+1' Sipovic with a poeer backpass for Kaith with Maghoma hurtling down on goal but Kaith somehow manages to clear it away. Yellow card for Maghoma for clattering into Kaith.
Five minutes of added time.
90' Nearly the winner for SCEB! Inswinging corner and Neville rises high to head it into the far corner but its just over the bar.
88' Oh dear... Edwin with a superb cross from the right but Sylvestr fails to get his header on target!
88' SCEB SUB: Rafique OFF, Gharami ON
87' Fox heads Fathullo's corner out behind but the referee awards a goalkick.
85' Maghoma runs past two defenders on the right side before a quick interchange to Rafique is called offside.
84' Ball breaks to Memo from the corner and Neville throws his body on the line to block the goalbound shot.
83' Two of Chennaiyin's biggest creators are off. East Bengal slightly in the ascendancy in the lst three minutes. Can it nick a winner?
82' CFC SUB: Crivellaro OFF, Fathullo ON
80' CFC SUB: Thapa OFF, Edwin ON
79' Play resumes. What is happening here. From the goalkick Milan Singh gives the ball away to Sylvestr to have a one-on-one at goal but he ends up smashing it wide.
76' Drinks break taken. Phew. No subs yet for Chennaiyin.
77' SAVE again from Debjit! Superb pickout from Crivellaro from the left to find Chhanget but his first touch desserts him. He manages to set up Sylvestr, whose fierce shot is kept out by Debjit!
75' Rahim blocks the cross from the left but ends up conceding a corner.
73' Such an end-to-end contest now. SCEB moving forward in attack but Chennaiyin retains the biggest threat on the counter.
69' GOAL! SCEB 2-2 CFC! It's Steinmann again from the corner. Fox meets the header and its low into the goal which Kaith pushes out but straight into the path of Steinmann, who slots it into the net. What a game this is turning out to be. Three goals in 10 minutes.
67' How is Chennaiyin not ahead by more!? Crivellaro's corner is thumped against the corssbar by Sipovic's header!
66' Crivellaro feeds the ball into Sylvestr and he takes a touch before unleashing a powerful shot which is saved by Debjit with his left hand.
64' GOAL! SCEB 1-2 CFC! Rahim Ali puts Chennaiyin back in front! Superb play down the right involving Rahim, Crivellaro and Sylvestr as EB struggle to cope with the movement and quick passing. Sylvestr again picks out the pass and Rahim overpowers Jairu before slotting it into the corner past Debjit.
61' Scramble inside the EB box as the Red and Golds survive the Chennaiyin attack. Crivellaro cuts it back to Sylvestr and is shot is blocked by Fox.
59' GOAL! SCEB 1-1 CFC! Steinmann levels the scores! Cross played into the near post and the midfielder runs in unmarked and towers home a header into the far post. Fowler likes that!
58' Sipovic is back on the pitch for the moment and he puts in a goal-saving tackle to deny Fox!
55' Clash of knees between Maghoma and Sipovic. It's like two freight trains crashing into each other. Ouch.
Sylvestr has created the most chances (13) for CFC this season.
53' Chhangte played down the left and he does down under the challenge of Rohen. Referee waves away the penalty call and gives a corner. Sylvestr heads it over the bar from the corner.
51' Crivellaro does well to hold on to the ball before hooking in a cross into the box for Sylvestr, who heads it down for Chhangte to meet it on the run but an EB defender clears it out.
48' Crivellaro squares it into Sylvestr on the edge of the box and his shot is deflected into the hand of the goalkeeper.
46' SCEB SUBS: Surchandra, Sehnaj, OFF; Jeje, Rohen ON. Second half is underway.
SECOND HALF
Half-time whistle blown. Chennaiyin deservedly in front but has had quite a few nervy moments at the back. Chhangte has got off the mark for the season with a well-taken goal. East Bengal managed to play in behind its defence twice but Tangri had crucial interventions to deny the opposition a way back into the game.
45' +2' Crivellaro drives at the East Bengal goal and plays a give and go with Sylvestr on the edge of the box but Debjit comes out to catch the ball before the Brazilian can take a shot at goal. Debjit comes away with a boot to his face from Crivellaro. He is okay to continue.
45'+1' Chennaiyin could have added a second there. Sylvestr plays the ball in behind the defence for Chhangte but he can't find Crivellaro with his cutback on a three vs two Chennaiyin advantage.
Three minutes of added time
41' A promising move for Chennaiyin on the edge of the EB box. Rahim, Crivellaro and Chhangte link up before the ball ricochets off the goal-scorer and goes behind for a goal kick.
40' Foul called against Pilkington against Sabia.
37' Oh dear... How did Rafique not score there!? He beats the offside trap to get on the end of a chipped ball over the top. He takes it past Kaith's onrushing run but Tangri ends up getting a vital touch before he could roll it into the empty net.
35' Pilkington cuts in from the left and takes a shot from distance but he doesn't get the power and precision on the shot.
33' Surchandra wins a corner for EB after the restart. Sylvestr at the near post heads behind for another corner. Kaith collects the following corner.
31' Drinks break called.
30' Chance for EB. A long ball played into Maghoma and he brings it down to set himself up for a one-on-one with Kaith but he is able to get his shot away on the run. Kaith come sout to collect the ball. There was a push from Tangri on the back of Maghoma. He was luck not to concede a penalty there.
Crivellaro is limping back and is wincing in pain.
28' Uncharacteristically poor from Crivellaro. He makes a free run down the lft but ends up putting in a poor cross which goes behind for a goal kick.
This is poor from EB. They look to play out from the back but only end up conceding possession back to Chennaiyin and put itself under pressure.
25' Chennaiyin has 65 per cent possession and is dominating play here. It also has three shots so far to EB's no shots so far.
23' Clash of heads inside EB's box. Rahim looks to get on the cross from Crivellaro but he ends up colliding against Bikash. Bikash seems to be in considerable pain and on the floor.
21' He goes for a shot on goal but he can't keep it on target.
20' Freekick for Chennaiyin outside EB's box. Crivellaro stands on the ball.
18' Chennaiyin looking menacing in attack. Ball played into Chhangte on the left and his low first-time cross is cut out crucially by Neville behind for a corner.
16' Opportunity for EB on the break with Maghoma on the ball but he can't find the run of Pilkington with his pass being cut out by Sabia.
13' GOAL! SCEB 0-1 CFC! Chhangte puts Chennaiyin in the lead! After having missed so many chances this season, Chhangte gets his first goal of the season. Crivellaro plays in quick pass behind the EB defence for Chhangte to run onto and he sets himself up with two touches before slotting it past Debjit! The ball was from Sylvestr, not Crivellaro.
10' Through ball down the right channel for Pikington and he ends up winning a corner kick by playing it against Sipovic and out of play. The delivery is played away from the EB bodies inside the box.
7' Foul on the edge of East Bengal box with Haobam nudging Thapa to the floor. Freekick is cleared away from the box.
Tangri will deputise at rightback. Memo Moura will slot in alongside Thapa in the midfield pivot.
4' Good link up play from Thapa and Crivellaro and the Brazilain's through ball needed Debjit to get a crucial touch to take it away from the feet off Sylvestr.
2' Jerry concedes a freekick on the left side for a foul on Rafique.
1' Kick off in Vasco. Chennaiyin will play from right to left. An early corner for East Bengal.
FIRST HALF
7.25 pm: Chennaiyin players walk out first in its away white kit. East Bengal players follow them in their traditional Red and Gold kit. Kick off just few minutes away now.
7.10 pm: Chennaiyin has missed the most big chances (10) amongst all teams after Matchday 7 in the current campaign of the ISL.
7.05 pm: Chennaiyin can make a push for the top four with a win today. A 3-0 win will catapult it into the fourth spot from eighth but it has been found wanting with the finishing in front of goal this season. Bottom-placed East Bengal will move ninth with a first win of the season.
7 pm: Here is Sportstar's ISL XI of the fortnight (Dec 5-20): READ How many of them would make your XI?
6.55 pm: For Chennaiyin, Laszlo has made two changes from the win over FC Goa last Saturday.One forced change with right back Reagan Singh being suspended and winger Fatkhulo Fatkhuloev going out of the XI. Enes Sipovic and Rahim Ali, the match-winner against Goa, start.
6.43 pm: SC East Bengal coach Robbie Fowler names an unchanged XI for the first time this season. This XI gave a good account of itself in the 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters last Sunday.
6.30 pm: Team news is in
SC East Bengal XI (3-5-2)
Debjit Majumder; Scott Neville, Daniel Fox, Sehnaj Singh; Surchandra Singh, Mohammed Rafique, Haobam Singh, Matti Steinmann, Bikash Jairu; Jacques Maghoma, Anthony Pilkington
Chennaiyin FC XI (4-3-3)
Vishal Kaith; Enes Sipovic, Memo Moura, Eli Sabia, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Deepak Tangri, Anirudh Thapa, Rafael Crivellaro; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Jakub Sylvestr, Rahim Ali
6.10 pm: Here are the predicted XIs for tonight's game
SC East Bengal predicted XI (4-4-2)
Debjit Majumder, Daniel Fox, Scott Neville, Sehnaj Singh, Surchandra Singh, Mohammed Rafique, Haobam Singh, Bikash Jairu, Matti Steinmann, Jacques Maghoma, Anthony Pilkington.
Chennaiyin FC predicted XI (4-3-3)
Vishal Kaith, Eli Sabia, Enes Sipovic, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Deepak Tangri, Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, Rafael Crivellaro, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Jakub Sylvestr, Fatkhulo Fatkhuloev.
6 pm: The giant of Indian football and a heavyweight of the ISL will take on each other for the first time. Here is a stats guide on the key numbers to look forward to.
- Have you been a keen follower of the ISL 2020-21 season? Test your knowledge with our Quiz
From quickest brace to saving grace - Sportstar ISL Quiz
MATCH PREVIEW:
Chennaiyin FC (CFC) ended its four-match winless streak with a 2-1 victory over FC Goa in its last game and will head into Indian Super League's (ISL 2020-21) Boxing Day clash as the favourite when it takes on SC East Bengal (SCEB) at the Tilak Maidan on Saturday.
Things fell in place for former champion CFC in its previous encounter following the return of skipper Rafael Crivellaro, who alongside Anirudh Thapa, made the side more organised and creative.
However, CFC would still want to be sharp in the final third of the pitch and not squander as many chances as it did even in the game against Goa.
The contest against SCEB, currently last in the points table, offers a chance for CFC, currently eighth in the standings, to consolidate the momentum from the win and move up the table.
Despite starting as the favourite, CFC coach Csaba Laszlo is not taking things for granted saying, “Even if you are the favourite, there is a lot of pressure. It will be a tough game for us. They are a new team but they have adapted well. We have to concentrate very well and remain focussed."
SC East Bengal, though, would rue the fact it squandered a chance to get its first win in its last outing against Kerala Blasters FC. Despite dominating the match, it conceded an equaliser in the dying moments.
Coach Robbie Fowler said despite the heartbreak, his team’s morale is high and the things are looking good.
“The morale that we got here has been good. At times, we have been unlucky. It is totally unfortunate that you are conceding goals at the last minute. But the lads played well and we created a lot of chances,” said Fowler.
"We are not a million miles away. The tide is turning. And hopefully, it will happen pretty soon,” he added.
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Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 here. Click here
The Indian Super League (ISL 2020-21) marks the return of major league competition in India after the nationwide lockdown to prevent the COVID-19 outbreak was first imposed in March.
The seventh edition of the ISL got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.
The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.
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