Chennaiyin FC beat Hyderabad FC 1-0 in the 67th match of the ongoing Indian Super League at the Marina Arena in Chennai on Wednesday, December 11. The Marina Machans were the superior side of the two on display here and were ruthlessly organised in defence. This trait of theirs prevented their visitors to get past them and breach their fortifications, thus ending a three-game losing streak.
The sole goal of this game came in the 5th minute when Irfan Yadwad was set up by Lukas Brambilla via a beautiful through ball. The India striker then bypassed Hyderabad right-back Soyal Joshy (who was making his first start for the club) and calmly slotted the ball into the net, albeit not without a slight deflection from the latter.
Here are some key takeaways from this game:
#1 Chennaiyin’s innovative formation
Chennaiyin started the game with a three-man backline with the idea that left wingback Laldinliana would invert himself when his team had the ball. However, when the hosts lost the ball, they reverted quickly to a four-man backline, and this forced Hyderabad to devise new ways to try and get shots on target.
Creator Cy Goddard was forced to divide the play towards his wings, but as has been the case of late, it did not yield too many options and the Nawabs were left without any distinct possibilities to score off. Chennaiyin fed on this loophole and exploited their visitors’ weaknesses with conviction.
#2 Hyderabad’s lacklustre showing in winning balls
Hyderabad started the game on a rather slow note, as a result of which Yadwad scored his goal by outpacing Joshy. The hosts were quick to seize chances with Kiyan Nassiri and Yadwad pushing the Nawabs’ backline soon after the first whistle.
However, what was shocking to see was the Nawabs’ reluctance to show any desire whatsoever when tussling with their opponents in the centre of the park or go for second balls in a highly physical encounter.
This was rectified somewhat in the second half, at the end of which they kept – percent of the ball and took – shots, and one can assume that this was largely due to a stern talking-to issued by head coach Thangboi Singto during the break.
However, the Nawabs struggled yet again in finding the final ball that could disturb Mohammad Nawaz’s net, and as a result, have now gone four games without scoring. This last statistic is deeply worrying for the Yellow and Black, and one that could have serious ramifications.
#3 Elsinho’s freak injury
In the 55th minute, an unfortunate event occurred at the Marina Arena when Elsinho collided with his fellow defender PC Laldinpuia while trying to avert a Ramhlunchhunga ball from danger but got struck with a freak head injury himself. The Brazilian was surrounded by his teammates and opponents when the collision took place and everyone looked concerned about the situation.
The match officials quickly called the game to a halt and asked an ambulance to take him to a hospital where he could be showered with medical attention. The issue seemed rather serious on the pitch, but one hopes that the 33-year-old recovers quickly and returns to action. And to think that he was not even supposed to be playing this game, coming as he did off the bench to replace an injured Ryan Edwards in the 35th minute.
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