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FC Goa go strong into the Indian Super League (ISL) semifinals after a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Thursday.
Going into the match, Goa only looked for a morale-boosting victory because the three points would not help them leapfrog last year's runners-up Bengaluru FC at the top of the table.
Even though Goa have a better goal difference, the head-to-head record between two teams comes into play at the end of the league phase.
The hosts did not have to do much as Chennaiyin FC looked dismantled and hopeless with the ball. The talismanic skipper Ferran Corominas scored the decisive goal for the hosts to secure a 1-0 victory over John Gregory's side.
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There was no real penetration for both the sides, but it was a fair reflection of the game as Sergio Lobera's men created plenty of chances through the counter-attack and scored the goal which mattered the most. On the other hand, John Gregory must be absolutely furious with the players as his side put in a heart-rending display with no grit and determination as well.
ALSO READ: Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory to resign at the end of the season
It has been a complete miserable season for Chennaiyin FC who have secured just 9 points from 18 games. They will have Super Cup and AFC Cup to play, but it does not look like they will be able to bounce back if they do not improve their attitude on the pitch.
Sergio Lobera will be absolutely delighted to finish in the top of the tree by putting in an extraordinary fight from the start of the season. In this article, we shall look at five talking points from the game between FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC.
#1 Chennaiyin were wasteful in finishing
Before Corominas found the only goal of the game, Chennaiyin FC had three chances to go up through their striker Jeje Lalpekhlua. However, he was not able to take all three which came back to haunt the blues.
During the first half, CK Vineeth linked well with everybody around him and played a through ball to the Chennaiyin No.12. The Indian International was able to find his feet out as his shot was too tame which helped the keeper Naveen Kumar to catch the ball with ease.
The second chance fell when he took a nice first touch to settle himself, but the resultant shot only flew over the crossbar and Jeje was angry with himself. Had the 28-year-old been clinical in front of the goal this campaign, Chennaiyin would not have been in this much turmoil.
#2 Mourtada Fall and Saviour Gama pick outs from Goa's defence
FC Goa's defence was going for a toss in the early stages of the game when Chennaiyin FC had much more control in the game and pressed higher up the pitch to break the deadlock. However, Sergio Lobera side's defence stood strong and gained their eighth clean sheet of the season.
There has been plenty of talk about the number of goals they shipped in the last campaign, but the Spaniard has truly changed the defence with the addition of Mourtada Fall. The Senegalese International has been one of the standout players for FC Goa and he maintained his form when he played against Chennaiyin FC.
Until Ferran Corominas scored the opener, it was the Blues who had the majority of the ball and created chances, but Mourtada Fall and Saviour Gama did well to keep them in check. CK Vineeth was flowing in confidence, but he was dealt by the left-back who looked solid to keep the opponents from scoring.
For the rest of the game, they kept composure and did not panic when Chennaiyin were trying to hit from the set pieces.
#3 Ferran Corominas did not look sharp, but still was able to come out with a goal
FC Goa Skipper Ferran Corominas struck his 15th goal of the campaign by beating the helpless Karanjit Singh in the first half which proved to be the winner for this game too. The Spanish International has been on fire and he kept his cool to slot the ball inside the back of the net when Jakichand Singh found him inside the six-yard box.
It took just three passes to find the back of the net of the goalkeeper. During the second half, the 31-year-old had an excellent chance to put the game beyond the sight of Chennai, but he failed to loop the ball to perfection. His overall game was no way near his maximum output, but he bagged the goal which matters the most.
#4 Isaac Vanmalsawma and Anirudh Thapa were dreadful
From minute one, the duo of Anirudh Thapa and Isaac Vanmalsawma did not look confident and gave away balls in the dangerous area. During the first half, Isaac had an excellent chance to play the ball to Jeje Lalpekhlua, but he failed to produce a good delivery which resulted in frustration for the striker.
Anirudh Thapa looks a different player when he wears his club's outfit; he puts too much pressure on himself and fails to produce the output expected of him. The midfielder was supposed to do the hard work by tracking down the field and assist the forwards with his interlink play, but he was far below his standards.
It makes no sense to play Isaac through the left wing as the Indian International lacks the pace to beat defenders. Besides, he does not have good footwork to create something out of nothing. The experienced Ahmed Jahouh and Lenny Rodrigues did well to unsettle the opponent's midfield.
#5 Right flank gave much more trouble to Chennaiyin's defence
Jackichand Singh is one of the pivotal members in FC Goa and he proved the reason for it by putting in an excellent shift against Chennaiyin FC. The Indian International linked up with Seriton Fernandes, Edu Bedia, and Ferran Corominas to continuously give headaches to the Blues' defence.
The left side of Chennaiyin's flank does not have much experience as Isaac Vanmalsawma and Tondonba Singh were struggling to contain the FC Goa's attack. Seriton and Jackichand were running through that channel for fun and did the damage throughout the game.
The first goal came when Eli Sabia and Tondonba Singh went to sleep which helped Jackichand Singh to head the ball to Corominas who found the back of the net. There were several instances where they could have done better, but the pace of FC Goa attackers was too hard to handle.
ALSO SEE: ISL Schedule | ISL Results | ISL Points table
