ISL: Chennaiyin FC 1-1 Atletico de Kolkata - 5 talking points

In what was an ill-tempered yet pulsating encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, the hosts Chennaiyin FC needed an injury-time penalty from Brazilian star Elano to clinch a 1-1 draw with the visitors Atletico de Kolkata. The game saw both teams reduced to 10 men, with Chennai losing their goalkeeper Shilton to a straight red in the first half, while Kolkata saw Jofre being booked twice, and sent-off in early in the second half. Here are the talking points from the game:

#1 Atletico de Kolkata had a better start

Kolkata skipper Luis Garcia, who had missed the last couple of matches, came back in for this match. Garcia played a defense splitting pass to fellow Spaniard Jofre who did well to play it in the box, but nobody could convert it. Soon, Garcia took a shot from half-line, but Chennaiyin goalkeeper Shilton did well to keep it out. While Garcia was key to Atletico’s fast start, his teammates helped him out by providing good options, like Baljit Sahni, who made intelligent runs on the right side.

Chennaiyin FC also created a couple of chances in the first few minutes, but away side Atletico de Kolkata had the better chances. Despite Chennayin FC winning 5-1 against Mumbai City FC, Kolkata started the game on the offensive at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

#2 Luis Garcia added an extra dimension

The return of Luis Garcia gave Atletico de Kolkata a much needed boost after their draw against Kerala Blasters. The former Liverpool star scored his first goal of the Indian Super League from the penalty spot, after Rafi was fouled by Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper Shilton Paul.

Garcia played many defense splitting passes and kept providing striker Rafi the ball in good positions. He also did his fair share of defensive work to help his team. The skipper looked very sharp after returning from injury and also tested goalkeeper Shilton from the half-line, almost scoring a wonder goal in the process.

His presence in the number 10 role definitely showed the rest of the league what Atletico were missing, and hence made their achievements even better.

#3 Red cards and penalties

Shilton Paul was sent off for a foul on Kolkata's Rafi, and Garcia converted the ensuing penalty to give Atletico de Kolkata the lead. The decison looked a bit unfair on the Chennaiyin goalkeeper. Before the red card, the game was evenly contested with both sides looking sharp. Chennaiyin FC came close to scoring a couple of times and the same can be said about Atletico de Kolkata.

Later, Spaniard Jofre received his second yellow card for simulation inside the penalty box and was sent off. Another very poor decision from Indian referee Tejas Nagvenkar as both the yellow card decisions on Jofre looked absolutely harsh. Both teams looked scrappy after being down to ten men and failed to produce any goal scoring chances.

Chennaiyin FC eventually won their own penalty in injury time of the second half after Kingshuk Debnath fouled Mendoza. Elano made no mistake to score from the penalty spot and earned his side a deserved draw.

#4 Atletico de Kolkata very organised

Atletico de Kolkata once again looked very organised and defended very well against a team that has scored the most goals in the tournament and scored 5 past their previous opponents Mumbai City FC.

Centre backs Josemi and Arnab Mondal are the unsung heroes for Atletico so far. Both the players have formed a commendable partnership at heart of the defense and successfully kept Elano and co. quiet for most parts of the game.

In the midfield, Borja Fernandez and Ofentse Nato have been solid and yet lively for them. They have dominated the midfield in most of the games, making it easier for their defenders and have initiated attacks very well.

The management played a master stroke by playing former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeepr Apoula Edel ahead of Subhasish Roy Chowdhury. Coach Antonio Habas was fully aware of Elano's free-kick taking abilities and decided to play the more experienced Apoula Edel.

#5 Elano kept at it all through the game

Elano Blumer once again looked very lively for Chennaiyin FC. The Brazilian scored his sixth goal of the season from the spot after Atletico de Kolkata's Kingshuk Debnath fouled Mendoza inside the penalty box.

Apart from the goal, the former Manchester City player won a number of free-kicks for his side and came close to scoring from a couple of them. Elano has scored three free-kicks and three from the penalty spot till now for Chennaiyin FC and is clearly a very crucial player for them.

Although his accuracy wasn’t its usual self, his courage and confidence in taking the set-pieces repeatedly showed that he wasn’t fazed by the misses, and it showed when he was able to convert the penalty for the draw.