Defending champions Chennaiyin FC climbed up to the third place of the Indian Super League points table after drawing 1-1 against FC Pune City on Sunday. It looked like the Super Machans will go home with three points, with them leading the game from the 28th minute through a Jeje Lalpekhlua goal, but an 82nd goal from Anibal Rodriguez levelled the score for the home side.
Even though Chennaiyin FC extended their undefeated streak to three, they missed their chance to go on top of the table with a win. FC Pune City, who is having the worst start to an ISL season since it's inception, will be relieved that they were able to get a point.
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Here are the main talking points from the game.
#1 Jeje Lalpekhlua returns to Chennai starting lineup in style
Indian striker Jeje Lalpekhlua returned to Chennai's starting lineup on Sunday after sitting out for the last two games. The 25-year-old was suffering from a slight injury but made his return against Pune.
The Indian marked his return to the lineup with a spectacular goal. The top Indian goal scorer of the ISL bullied Pune's Eduardo off the ball and shot from outside the box over Edel into the net.
Jeje was impressive and very influential for the away side throughout the game. The Indian striker was also awarded the Hero of the Match award for his performance and his return will be a huge boost for Marco Materazzi.
#2 Antonio Habas returns for Pune
Spanish manager Antonio Habas completed the ban he received last year and returned to the touchline for Pune on Sunday. The former Atletico de Kolkata manager was frustrated to see his team go through a bad phase from the stands and is hopeful that his arrival will change things for FC Pune City.
The Marathi club has a had poor season so far with just five points from five games. Even though the manager’s return to the touchline did not make much difference in Pune's game on Sunday, the team will be hoping to get back to winning ways soon.
Habas, who led Atletico de Kolkata to the title in the first season of the tournament, himself has admitted that there is work to be done with the team and he needs to start getting things done fast if they are to progress into the next round of the competition.
#3 Materazzi getting his squad rotation game spot on
We again saw Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi make several changes to his starting eleven against Pune. The Italian had already said before the game that he will be making changes because of fatigue to the players.
Chennaiyin FC had won their game against NorthEast United a few days ago, but Materazzi was not afraid to make changes to the winning team. Duwayne Kerr, John Arne Riise, Jayesh Rane, Dude Omagbemi and Jeje Lalpekhlua are the players who Materazzi brought into his starting eleven for Sunday's match.
These changes didn't affect much of Chennai's game as they were pretty strong against FC Pune City on the night. The Super Machans dominated the first half and were able to create chances in the second half too, and would be upset they could not get a win.
#4 Ban on the cards for Dharmaraj Ravanan
FC Pune City's manager Antonio Habas just returned from a ban and now one of their players will probably be getting banned soon. Pune defender Dharmaraj Ravanan was clearly seen stamping Chennaiyin FC striker Dudu Omagbemi in the second half of the match and action could be taken against him.
Even though the referee called a foul, he hadn't seen the incident properly and hence didn't give a red card to Ravanan. FC Pune City were lucky to finish the game with eleven as the 29-year-old player should have been clearly sent off for the stamp.
It does lead to question as to why players still decide to do such acts when there are TV cameras broadcasting every single incident in the game. Ravanan might have been lucky on the night but Pune City do not need any more trouble after their stuttering start to the season.
#5 Chennaiyin FC does a Liverpool
The defending champions' performance on Sunday was very much comparable to the current Liverpool FC team. If you are a person who follows the Premier League, you must be knowing how the English club always makes things tough for them in the second half. Chennai's case against Pune was almost the same.
The Super Machans were the dominant team in the first half and it looked like Chennai would win the match without much trouble, but they made things difficult. Materazzi's side kind of switched off after the 60 minutes mark and let FC Pune City have most of the possession.
Chennaiyin’s attacks were weak after the 60 minutes mark and also they failed to keep possession. The away side paid the price for loosening things up in the 82nd minute of the match when Pune's Anibal Rodriguez, who came on as a substitute scored the equalising goal via a beautiful free-kick.
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