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

Having tasted their first win against FC Pune City this season, Chennaiyin FC looked to rebuild their form in a crucial away match at Jamshedpur. Coming into this match, Chennaiyin held a slender advantage as Jamshedpur FC have never had the better of the Marina Machans in the Indian Super League history. Head to head, in the two matches, played between the sides, Chennaiyin has won one and the other ended in a draw.

However, things stand in sharp contrast to last year. Jamshedpur had started well and was willing to bounce back after their first defeat in seven matches against FC Pune City in their previous encounter.

A major change in the starting line-up for Jamshedpur was the inclusion of Michael Soosairaj in the starting XI. Cesar Ferrando had faced some stern criticism for keeping Soosairaj on the bench in the last game which ended with a disappointing result for the men of steel.

Another major boost for Jamshedpur was the availability of Tim Cahill who was back with the squad. Their top scorer Sergio Cindoncha who suffered a knee injury was again out of the squad as he had travelled to Spain for his treatment.

For Chennaiyin, after their dismal start to the season, they looked to carry the confidence of the win in Pune especially on how they performed in the final 45 minutes of the game. John Gregory had made some four changes in that game and had gone with the same squad for this match also. Their major source of concern coming to this match was their lack of goals from the forward line. Jeje was yet to find the back of the net and striker Carlos Salom has been in mediocre form, to say the least.

The game started with Jamshedpur getting the early lead off a dream goal from Morgado which was soon doubled by Carlos Calvo from the penalty spot. In the second half, Chennaiyin tried to come back in the game when Raphael Augusto scored off an awarded penalty but the lead was further increased at the 72’ minute when Mario Arques registered his name on the scoresheet.

At the end of 90 minutes, it was a dominant performance from the home side and worrying one for the away side. Here are the five talking points from the game.

---

#1 Thunderbolt from Morgado

Morgado put Jamshedpur into the lead with a stunning strike [Image: ISL]

We have had our fair share of top goals in the Indian Super League this season, most of which have come from outside of the box. Adding to that list or probably amongst the all-time ones, Pablo Morgado’s goal will definitely be rated highly.

In the absence of striker Cido, Jamshedpur FC were looking at options to add to their scoring and Morgado has surely given them one.

It all started with midfielder Carlos Calvo making the run from the right wing, who was fouled by Jerry and a free-kick was awarded to Jamshedpur. Calvo put the ball into the box from the set-piece which was cleared by the Chennaiyin defence, only to reach Morgado standing at around 25 meters from the goal.

Morgado received the ball on his right foot and rocketed it past the Chennaiyin defence and beyond the reach of a diving Karanjit Singh on his left. That goal sort of set the tempo for Jamshedpur for the rest of the match. Least being said it has to be one of the great goals of the ISL this season.

#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.

#3 ISL refereeing

It was another poor day at the office for the match officials [Image: ISL]

Referee Umesh Bora who was officiating his second game today was spot on, on one penalty call and the other one was a little bit controversial. He also had small instances during the match which were saddening to see from a referee of a top league.

There were a couple of notable instances where the referee showed a lack of experience.

The first one came in the initial stages of the game when a Chennaiyin player was caught offside by the assistant and the whistle was blown to stop the game but the game went on anyway and surprisingly even the JFC players didn’t stand up for it.

The other one came in the 81st Minute when Robin Gurung was fouled outside of the box and the ref allowed play-on even with Robin lying on the ground and play happening by his side.

The JFC players couldn’t play the advantage as the game continued within touching distance of the injured man and it was impossible to pass the ball in the run of play. As the Jamshedpur players deliberately put the ball away to draw the ref’s attention, the referee awarded a throw to Chennaiyin.

There was also an instance when a freekick was taken without the ref blowing the whistle and just like anything else in ISL it was also given a pass.

In this crucial stage of the tournament, the quality of the officiating is what matters which when compromised, disrupts the overall credibility of the game.

#4 Chennaiyin’s forward woes

Jeje Lalpekhlua is yet to open his goalscoring account for the season [Image: ISL]

Chennaiyin FC would want to forget this game for a number of reasons, the most prominent one being their impact by the forward line which was close to none. Upfront, Chennaiyin banked on star striker and national team starter Jeje Lalpekhlua who was yet to open his account this season. Even though John Gregory would have hoped for a better show today he was only left disappointed.

Throughout the first half Jeje had only 14 touches of the ball and in the second, only 30. One might also argue on the lack of balls received in the offensive third but in the first 30 minutes, Chennaiyin managed zero shots on goal.

By the end of the game Chennaiyin had more passes and more crosses than Jamshedpur but still couldn’t do much. And this has pretty much become the story for Chennaiyin FC this season who, from here on will be pretty much playing for pride than a top 4 finish.

#5 Where does Chennaiyin FC go from here?

Chenaiyin FC's campaign is virtually over [Image: ISL]

With today’s defeat, the defending champion’s season is virtually over and they have nothing more than pride to play for from here on. Even if we consider a par score of 30 points for top 4, Chennaiyin who are at 4 points currently would require at least 26 from their remaining 10 league matches left for this season.

With the current form of the line-up, a comeback to the top 4 is more likely impossible for the Marina Machans as it would take some miraculous amount of events to turn the tables. Chennaiyin also has a hectic schedule ahead after this game.

After this, Chennaiyin has 3 matches in a span of 8 days. They play Kerala and ATK on 29 November and 02 December respectively. Thereafter they travel to Mumbai for their away fixture against Mumbai City FC on 6th of December.

People and fans will be really hoping that Chennaiyin finds some form going into the new year and especially players like Jeje who are really important for India at the AFC Asian Championships