Chennaiyin FC played their second home game of the season against FC Goa at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. With 95 goals scored between them, this matchup has provided the most goals in ISL history and this one was no different. Goa took the lead with two goals each side of halftime after Wilmar Jordan gave the Marina Machans the lead. Late in the match, Chima grabbed one back to secure Chennaiyin FC a point. Let’s examine some of the game’s key moments, from Brambilla’s acrobatic attempt to Udanta’s header.
After defeating Northeast United FC 3-2 on the road, Owen Coyle had to make two changes to his starting lineup. Bikash Yumnam replaced Dinliana, who was suspended for the match, and Mandar Roa Dessai took Ankit Mukherjee’s place at left-back due to injury. In contrast, Manolo made one change to the team that suffered a 2-1 home loss to Mumbai City, selecting Dejan Drazic for the in-form Armando Sadiku. Mohammed Yasir, who missed the first several games of the season due to injury, was listed among the substitutes.
Chennaiyin got off to a great start as they narrowly missed the game’s first goal in the second minute. Connor Shields and Lukas Brambilla teamed up on the right flanks, with the latter sending a risky cross to Irfan Yadwad at the near post. However, Jay Gupta intercepted it for a corner. Samik Mitra made a fantastic stop on Brison’s attempt at the far post after Udanta Singh’s excellent cross towards the six-yard box soared past a few Chennaiyin defenders. In the tenth minute, Brambilla surged forward extremely well to fire a shot, which was intercepted and went to Connor Shields, whose right-footed volley was denied by the crossbar.
Shields sprinted down the right side on the follow-through and delivered a cross to Brambilla, whose effort was blocked by Odei Onaindia only to ricochet off Jordan Gil into the back of the net. Wilmar has already scored three goals in two starts this season, which gives Owen Coyle and Chennaiyin the much-needed clinicality they lacked in front of goal. 20 minutes into the game, Drazic made a dashing move forward, going past a few defenders before being intercepted by Ryan Edwards. Drazic had another attempt from outside the box a few seconds later, but it missed the target. Borja Herrera limped off the field and was replaced by Armando Sadiku.
After the first-half water break, Shields made a run forward and passed to Irfan whose ambitious left-footed effort was way off target. Moments later, Dinpuia made two back-to-back crucial interceptions at the far post to deny Armando Sadiku. Carl McHugh had an opportunity to equalize from Aakash Sangewan but the former’s free-header was off-target. On the brink of the half-time break, FC Goa equalized the score courtesy of Udanta’s header. Aakash Sangwan found an unmarked Boris Singh at the near post whose header flew past Samik Mitra at the far post giving no chance for the keeper. Three more minutes were added on at the end of the first half which ended 1-1.
Five minutes into the second half, Drazic had plenty of room to run after Sadiku made a spectacular pass. He attempted to get around Samik and score, but Samik took him down, giving the Gaurs a penalty. Armando Sadiku gave FC Goa the lead again with a flawless penalty kick. In response, Owen Coyle made three changes: Vincy for Irfan, Gurkirat for Farukh, and Elsinho for Ryan. After Borges hurt his hamstring, Ayush Chhetri took his position. An hour or so into the match, Lukas ran forward brilliantly and played the ball to Vincy at the far post, who returned it to Brambilla, whose effort missed the target.
With the addition of Daniel Chima and Iker Guarrotxena to their respective teams, both coaches made additional substitutes. Shields sent Brambilla a wonderful cross just before the second-half drinks break, but Brambilla’s acrobatic attempt went wide once more. Super-sub Daniel Chima Chukwu gave Chennaiyin FC the equalizer a few moments later with an incredible header from the corner. With a spectacular in-swinging corner, Connor Shields contributed the assist, giving him two assists from corners in two games. In his last substitute of the match, Owen Coyle replaced Hnamte with Jitendra.
Six more minutes were added on at the end of the second half. Chennaiyin had an opportunity to win all three points through Shields’ free-kick but Elsinho’s header was deflected away for a corner. On the subsequent corner, Kattimani made a high punch to deny the home side from scoring the winner. Chima had a brilliant opportunity to score the winner when Mandar’s cross towards the near post was headed by Chima on goal, but Kattimani made a brilliant save, Despite numerous efforts, the game ended 2-2.
The outcome would undoubtedly dismay Manolo, who would have yet another game without a victory. The fact that his team failed to maintain defensive discipline and gave up yet another late goal would have been even more disappointing for the Spanish head coach. Conversely, Owen Coyle would be pleased with his team’s comeback to salvage a point, but he would be unhappy that his team gave up two goals in yet another match.
Follow IFTWC for more updates on Indian Football.
