ISL 2018/19: Chennaiyin FC 0 - 1 Mumbai City FC

It was another day of a hassle for John Gregory and Chennaiyin FC as they suffered their fifth defeat of the season in the opening six games. This time, it was Jorge Costa and Mumbai City FC who did not allow the hosts to register their first point at their fortress by coming away to secure their third win of this season at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on Saturday.

Senegalese International Modou Sougou netted the only goal of the game in the 20th minute. There was a potential lifeline in the second half for the hosts, but Carlos Salom hit the woodwork which was the only shot causing trouble to Amrinder Singh.

Chennaiyin FC made life very easier for the opponents with their dismal play throughout the game. The fans felt snookered from minute one because the Blues were second best from minute one.

In this piece, we shall look at the 5 hits and flops from this game.

#1 Hit - Carlos Salom:

The Palestine International Carlos Salom did not deserve to be on the losing side. The Chennaiyin FC forward was the best player on the pitch by a mile. He tirelessly worked hard higher up and down the pitch to contribute to the offensive play.

He came the closest to securing a draw when he hit the frame of the goal in the 61st minute which proved to be the only chance throughout the game. Players around him which included Andrea Orlandi, Thoi Singh and Isaac were running out of ideas to break the stubborn Mumbai defence which did not provide any space to exploit at the back.

His off the ball movements and high pressing to retrieve the ball made tough for both midfielders and defenders of Mumbai City FC. Since he was all alone in doing this, Chennaiyin FC failed to stamp the authority and the whole squad looked like they are very low on confidence.

It was an intriguing contest between the Chennaiyin striker and two centre-backs Joyner Lourenco and Lucian Goian. The battle was won by the Blues striker without a shadow of a doubt.

#2 Flop - Francisco Fernandes:

The unorthodox right-back put in another 2/10 performance by contributing nothing offensively and defensively. The former Goa midfielder was getting deployed as a winger last season, but due to poor performance from the Skipper Mailson Alves, Inigo Calderon and Fernandes are forced to swap positions to fill in the hole at the back.

It was Francisco Fernandes' mistake which leads to the first goal. The 32-year-old was out of position which forced Inigo Calderon to close down the midfielder. But, the Spanish international fouled the midfielder rather, which left a big gap at the back. Karanjit saved the initial shot from Modou, but he was able to tap-in from the rebound.

There were many instances where he could have crossed the ball better when he was higher up the pitch, but failed to do so. It is baffling to see someone like Francisco Fernandes, who was so reliant with the crosses last season is struggling to replicate the same skill set this campaign. Additionally, his link up play with Thoi Singh was underwhelming.

#3 Hit - Paulo Machado:

Paulo Machado was adjudged with the man of the match award for putting in an extraordinary performance for Mumbai City FC. The Portuguese international was the best player in the middle of the park by winning several duels to stop the flow and maintain the rhythm with his free-flowing passes.

He made 5 crunching tackles and had a passing accuracy of 80% this game. For most parts of the second half, the visitors decided to sit back and frustrate Chennaiyin FC. The Mumbai City FC midfielder was also pivotal in cutting down the counter attacks of the opponents to safeguard the defenders at the back.

Sehnaj Singh and Milan Singh did the spare work left by Paulo Machado in the midfield to unsettle Chennaiyin FC's middlemen. They moved the ball well when they had it, and did not give it back unless they were put under severe pressure.

#4 Flop - Raphael Augusto:

Raphael Augusto was excellent in the last outing against ATK in Chennaiyin's 2-1 loss away from home. But, his form took a dip last night when he was struggling to put in a string of passes.

There is no doubt about the physique of the Brazilian who loves to wrestles to go past players, but he has been too slow which is stopping Chennaiyin FC to do well in the final third. During the first half, the Chennaiyin FC midfielder was trying fancy to get past the opponents which the opponents struggled to read.

Succeedingly, during the half-time break, the information was sent by the manager about his movement which was easily read by him, and the players started to do that. He was dispossessed on numerous occasions in the second part of the game. Ultimately, his unnecessary footwork to go past the opponents cost Chennaiyin the momentum.

There was a three-v-three situation, but he took out the wrong choice with needless footwork only to get dispossessed. He must try to act quickly by interchanging many passes and releasing the ball quickly with his fellow teammates.

#5 Hit - Modou Sougou:

Modou Sougou scored the only goal which secured all three points for the away side. The Senegalese international received the ball from Rafael Bastos who won it back from Anirudh Thapa to find the back of the net.

The first shot was parried away by Karanjit Singh, but the following rebound provided the Chennaiyin shot-stopper with nil chance. He did not have much to do during the game as Mumbai City were defensively minded and the striker had to track back to shield the defense for most parts of the game.

The striker was though one-v-one, but the flag was raised for offside in the 82nd minute. That turned out to be the wrong decision from the linesman. The whole camp of Mumbai City FC was raging with the match official at that point of time.

Netting his third goal of the campaign in six games, Modou Sougou has already become a fan favourite among the Mumbai City FC faithful.