In probably the most exciting match of the season so far, Shouvik Ghosh crushed the dreams of not just the home team but also FC Goa as NorthEast United played an entertaining 3-3 draw against Chennaiyin FC.
In a must-win encounter for Chennaiyin, Dudu Omagbemi’s heroic hat-trick went in vain as NorthEast pulled off an equaliser, with just a few seconds remaining.
Here are the five talking points of the match.
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#1 Busy Night For the Goalkeepers
It was a busy night for the three goalkeepers as the intention of both the teams was quite clear right from the word go. Both Karanjit Singh and Subrata Pal produced some spectacular saves, while Rehenesh TP, who replaced Pal later, also had to face the heat.
In the 12th minute, Chennaiyin were handed a free-kick right from the edge of the box and John Arne Riise, known to have a fierce shot, took a powerful left footer. The ball which came off a deflection of Fanai Lalrempuia was certain to go in, only for Pal to pull off a miraculous save.
Similarly, his counterpart Karanjit Singh denied Romaric a goal not once, but twice. In a pressure game, both the goalkeepers proved their worth, though ultimately they conceded goals.
#2 NorthEast’s forced substitutions
The heartbreak for visitors came early in the sixth minute when their main defender Gustavo Lazzaretti pulled out due to an injury. And because of this, NorthEast coach Nelo Vingada had to make a forced substitution and bring on Wellington Priori. This pushed marquee player Didier Zokora back into the centre back position while Wellington Priori filled in the holding spot.
This forced tactical change unsettled the team as both the goals which they conceded in the first half was due to defensive lapses and the culprit both the times was Zokora. On the first occasion, he failed to mark Dudu who was free to head the ball in, while on the second occasion Dudu overpowered the Ivorian to tap in the ball.
The entire NorthEast backline looked more focused on containing Davide Succi and Raphael Augusto and maybe this made the job a little easier for Dudu. They, however, were successful in trapping both Succi and Augusto offside numerous times, thus neutralising the threat.
The second forced substitution for the visitors came in the form of Subrata Pal who had to be replaced because of an apparent thigh injury and this gave last season’s regular Rehenesh TP his first appearance of the season. Chennaiyin took full advantage of this and put a goal past the nervous keeper.
#3 The Second Hero ISL 3 Hat-trick
It was a night of exciting goals with Dudu Omagbemi and Nicolas Velez scoring absolute screamers. Dudu, who was recently in the news for singing the Indian national anthem, was the star for Chennaiyin as he scored the second hat-trick of Indian Super League season 3.
The first goal came off a beautiful cross by Mehrajuddin Wadoo while youngster Jerry Lalrinzuala assisted the second goal.
The hat trick for Dudu was completed when super sub Mendy produced a decisive cross.
#4 Velez’s performance and Souvik Ghosh’s late goal
On the other hand, for the first time this season, Nicolas Velez produced an absolutely stunning performance for NorthEast. His equaliser was an absolute beauty as he dribbled past all four Chennai defenders to put the ball in the back of the net. His second goal was a powerful shot that went past the grasps of Karanjit Singh’s gloves.
He too almost scored his hat-trick in the dying moments of the game but his precise shot was blocked by John Arne Riise right at the line. He however made his final and decisive contribution with an assist as Souvik Ghosh’s miraculous header off Velez’s corner virtually knocked Chennai off the playoff contention.
It was a moment of absolute disbelief when the tall defender Ghosh headed the ball into the net. A corner was perfectly headed into the net by the unlikeliest of the NorthEast United players.
#5 Chennaiyin stand very little chance to make it to the play-off spots
It was a must win game not just for Chennaiyin but also for FC Goa, while NorthEast needed at least a draw to keep things alive. This complex situation made the game an interesting one but at the time very aggressive, too. With emotions overflowing, it led to a lot of animosity on the ground, especially towards the final moments of the game.
With the match finishing on a dramatic note, Chennaiyin now realistically have a very low chance of qualifying for the semis while FC Goa are knocked out. Both the teams now face each other on the 1st of December, which in probability will be a dead rubber.
As for NorthEast, they next play Delhi at home and a win at Guwahati might just give them a semi-final slot.
