Following a setback against Mumbai City FC away from home, Chennaiyin FC hosted high-flying Bengaluru FC at the Marina Arena in Chennai. Despite the club’s terrible recent form, approximately 10,000 Marina Machans traveled to the stadium to cheer them on. But, in the end, the few Bengaluru fans returned home smiling after the Blues defeated the hosts.

Due to injuries and suspensions, Owen Coyle was forced to field an all-Indian backline. Bengaluru FC capitalized on the circumstance by opening the score as unmarked Ryan Williams gave the visitors the lead. Irfan equalized for Chennaiyin, but they conceded again in the first half. Hnamte scored in first-half stoppage time to tie the game at halftime. Ultimately, a second goal by Ryan Williams and an own goal by Dinliana secured a 4-2 victory for Gerard Zaragoza’s team. Let’s review the game’s important takeaways, from Chennaiyin’s ineffective fullbacks to Bengaluru’s fragile defense.
#1 Dinliana and Mandar’s negligence cost four goals for the host
In the game, Chennaiyin was dealt a setback by Ryan Edwards’ suspension for a yellow card in the previous match against Mumbai City. With Elsinho already sidelined, the Marina Machans were bound to miss some aerial presence in defense and much-needed leadership across the backline. Mandar, an experienced player, should have performed better in the left-back position by closing Ryan Williams and denying him space to take shots and deliver crosses. In the first half, Diaz was dribbled by Dinpuia (who should’ve done better) and passed to an unmarked Ryan Williams at the far post, who gave the lead to the visitors. Mandar couldn’t close him in time to block the shot.

Ryan had enough room on the right flank for the second goal to cross the ball to Chhetri at the far post, who just headed it into the net. As a fullback, Dinliana should have done better there and given Chhetri no chance. Diaz dribbled to the right flank again and supplied a lovely ball to unmarked Ryan Williams, who scored the third goal. Mandar was nowhere to be seen when he should have been tracking Williams’ run to prevent the goal.
The fourth goal was a horrible own goal by Dinliana, but there can be no excuses at this level. When you don’t have your captain in defense, the other players must stand up, and both Chennaiyin fullbacks fell short, conceding all four goals from crosses. When asked about it, Coyle stated, “We allowed four crosses into our box, and they resulted in four goals, one culminating in probably one of our own goals that’s so avoidable.”
#2 Eight games without a clean sheet for Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC broke all records at the start of the season with their outstanding defensive performance. They kept five clean sheets in a row and only conceded one goal in six games, a penalty from Jesus Jimenez. However, in their previous eight games, Bengaluru have conceded seventeen goals, ten of which have come in their last four games. The poor defensive performance has cost them some games, causing them to lose their position at the top of the standings. Even today, the goals they conceded were totally avoidable. Noguera made a mistake for the first one, losing the ball in a crucial position, and Gurpreet should have done better for the second goal.

While they have begun to score more goals in the attacking third, they have also begun to concede more goals at the back, which must be addressed if the team is to compete for the ISL Shield. Addressing the media on this topic, head coach Gerard Zaragoza added, “In the first six games, we received one goal. We were really, really tough in defense. Now we are fragile and we need to change this. We need to change this mentality if we want to fight for something.”
#3 Irfan and Hnamte keep impressing
In what has been an erratic season for Chenniayin FC, Irfan Yadwad and Hnamte have stood out and given their all to the club. Even though they both scored for the Marina Machans today, their contributions to the squad go much beyond goals and assists. Hnamte, who joined Chennaiyin this summer, has made a reputation for himself as one of the first names on the team sheet this season. His work rate and perseverance in the middle, where he tries to win the ball in every 50/50, have been quite outstanding. He was also called up to the national team this year. If he continues to perform at this level, Manolo will have a difficult time selecting players for camp.

On the other side, Irfan is having the time of his life. Despite a sluggish start to the season, he has been in excellent form since his performance against Jamshedpur. Since then, he has made his debut for the National team and has scored a couple of goals. This season, Irfan has three goals and two assists in fourteen games, which is not bad for an Indian striker in his second year in the top division. His game is more than simply goals; the defensive efforts he makes and the offensive runs he makes demonstrate his development as a footballer. If he continues to perform like this, we might have a replacement for a certain someone in the national team.
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