ISL 2018-19: Jamshedpur FC 3-1 Chennaiyin FC - 5 Talking Points

#2 The Soosairaj factor

Soosairaj (middle) dribbles past Chennaiyin players [Image: ISL]

All doubts pertaining to Michael Soosairaj’s selection in the starting XI were quashed with his performance on the pitch today. Even though almost all the players for Jamshedpur had a really good day on the pitch, Soosairaj’s performance stands out with his brilliant runs, dribbles, and technique which no one could match.

He proved to be clinical on the wings, making multiple runs past the Chennaiyin defence. He could have almost gone on the score sheet with one of his trademark shots hitting the crossbar (which resulted in Sumeet Passi following up and earning a penalty). He also cleared a ball for Cahill to shoot (which was blocked by the defender and resulted in a corner) by dribbling past defenders which included the likes of Anirudh Thapa, in the later stages of the game.

What’s interesting is that both of those balls resulted in goals in the immediate turn of events. One from the penalty spot and the other from the corner. This goes to show the kind of impact he has on the team even if his name is missing from the key events of the game. These were just the two among many other instances from the ex-Chennai City man.

It’s only surprising that he hasn’t received the call from the national team yet.