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FC Goa beat Chennaiyin FC 2-0 in Match 30 of the Indian Super League (ISL) season 2 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, on Thursday night.Rafael won both the penalties that were converted by Leo Moura (64’) and Jonatan Lucca (78’) as the Gaurs recorded their second away win of the season and moved to the number one spot in the standings with 14 points from 8 matches while Marco Materazzi’s side slip to fifth with 10 points having played the same number of matches.We take a look at the five talking points from this encounter
#1 Chennai exhibit versatility when going forward but lacked end product
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As the tournament progresses, teams are now getting somewhat familiar with their opponents’ strategies. This means every side will have to switch it up every now and then to bring in a sense on unpredictability in their gameplay. In today’s match, Chennai showed why they’re a force to be reckoned with. Going forward, the front three of Elano, Mendoza and Fikru were at ease switching positions throughout the game.
Chennaiyin’s main man, Mendoza persistently dropped back in midfield which meant Goa’s centre backs were often drawn towards him. His movement created a lot of open spaces for his teammates in attack who did well to position themselves in empty pockets, creating uncertainty among their opponents. The only thing missing was a goal.
#2 Wadoo looks miserly in defense for Chennai
Mehrajuddin Wadoo is one of the most adaptable defenders in this season’s ISL. Wadoo, who started his career as a striker, can ply his trade in midfield as well as in defense. The Kashmiri is exactly the kind of versatile defender Coach Materazzi loves. Tenacious with his tackling, the 31 one-year-old has excellent positioning skills.
Slowly but steadily the Indian is establishing himself as an indispensable component of the Chennai starting eleven. He does the simple things right. His passing was crisp and he rarely gave the ball away. Although he isn’t the most adventurous full-back out there, Wadoo consistently puts in an 8/10 performance which any coach would take all day long.
His last ditch tackle to deny Haokip from scoring was impeccable. The penalty he conceded was an extremely harsh decision by the referee to say the least.
#3 Throw ins are a possible source of goals for many teams in the ISL
For those of you who follow the English Premier league, remember Rory Delap’s monstrous throw-ins for Stoke City? When Goa and Chennai were awarded throw-ins tonight, both teams made sure they made the most of it. Every throw was treated like a free kick and neither teams played it short often. Dhanachandra’s long throw-ins often caused chaos in the Goan defense.
At the other end, Raju Gaikwad was at it trying to create an opening for his team from the touchline. While throw-ins have always been a possible source for goals, teams in the ISL seem to be taking every opportunity to exploit it. Although they have not always lead to goals, the balls’ trajectory certainly caused apprehension for defenders in the box tonight.
#4 Goa adopt a high pressing game to solve their defensive woes
Over the course of the tournament, Zico’s men have been criticized for being tepid at the back. Having already conceded 10 goals this season (only North East have conceded more), Goa put in a much improved defensive performance tonight. Much of that was down to the team’s high pressing game.
Goa is a team that like to have the ball and hence defending deep is a less effective option for them. Tonight the entire team defended as one component and were seen snapping at the feet of their rivals.
The likes of Lucio, Narayan Das and Raju Gaikwad made things uncomfortable for Goa, rarely giving the opposition any time on the ball. A high pressing game requires the team to defend as one single unit which is exactly what Goa did tonight.
#5 Lcio marshalled his defense like a boss
The Brazilian was a rock at the back and rarely let the Chennai attackers penetrate his team’s defensive line. Elano was awarded a couple of free kicks in dangerous areas, but Lúcio and his men made themselves big at the wall to deny the midfielder from hitting the target.
We knew how dangerous Mendoza and Fikru are on the break. The centre back along with Gregory denied the Chennai forwards any kind of space to really express themselves in the final third. Going forward, Zico will be content with how his star defender put in a shift tonight to help his team earn all 3 points.
If he can consistently put in stellar performances like tonight, Goa will be a hard team to beat.
