Monday, April 9, 2018

SEMI-FINAL 2 - 1ST LEG FC Goa 1 Chennaiyin FC 1

Rivals Goa, Chennaiyin square up for early advantage

Goa, March 9: There is very little to separate the two teams as FC Goa host Chennaiyin FC in the second semi-final of the Hero Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa, on Saturday.

The great rivals were all-square in the league stage as FC Goa scored a stunning 3-2 victory in their opening match in Chennai, scoring three goals in the first 45 minutes, while Chennaiyin FC fought back and levelled things out with a 1-0 victory in Goa.

The teams face each other knowing there has never been a draw between them.  In the nine matches the two sides have played, Goa won four and Chennaiyin five, including the famous final in 2015. 

A total of 35 goals have been scored in these encounters and if Goa's head coach Sergio Lobera stays true to his style, then there will certainly be lots more entertainment.

"We understand the importance of the away goal, but this rule will not make us change our style of play. In the last game, even when a draw was enough, we went for the win. The team has to continue with the same mentality. In the last three games, we have great numbers in terms of the goals we've scored," Lobera said during the pre-match media interaction.

Goa have scored 12 goals in the hat-trick of wins that they stitched up to enter the semi-finals, but the big change is that they have also conceded just once in 270 minutes of football.

Lobera said that while his attackers took away the plaudits, he knew the entire team was working hard offensively and defensively to perform better, and even praised his backline.

"If we don't function as a team it is impossible to achieve success but the way football works is that the scorers make the headlines. For me there are people within the team who work hard and it is their work that permits others to shine a little bit more. If only 11 players would have been good, I don't think we would have been in the semi-finals," said the Spanish coach.

Chennaiyin enter the game on a patchy run of just two wins in their last five games, but are statistically one of the soundest traveling teams this season. 

They have the most number of clean sheets in total (7) and have conceded the least amount of shots away from home (78). Their goals are also spread across the team over 11 players, unlike Goa, who are heavily reliant on Ferran Corominas and Manuel Lanzarote in that department (18 of the 22 home goals Goa have scored have come from these two players).

"It wasn't accidental that we finished second in the league table. We have won in Goa and in Pune - but we also lost in the Northeast. The trend is that we tend to win the big must-win games. We've earned the right to come into the playoffs and now suddenly we start from scratch - the points will not come into play and it's purely a semi-final and final and we're ready for it," said Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory.

The second leg will be played on March 13 in Chennai


Spoils shared in Goa as Chennaiyin return with an away goal
Manuel Lanzarote scored the opener for the home side but second-half substitute Anirudh Thapa managed to equalize...
FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the 2017-18 Indian Super League (ISL) second semi-final at the JL Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on Saturday.
Manuel Lanzarote (64') scored first but Anirudh Thapa (71') equalised seven minutes later to hand Chennaiyin an away goal. 

Sergio Lobera made two forced changes for the home side. Laxmikant Kattimani replaced suspended Naveen Kumar in goal while Edu Bedia was fielded in an attacking role instead of the injured Hugo Boumous.
Bar Bikramji Singh, all other ten men on the field for Chennaiyin FC did not start in their last league game against Mumbai City FC.
Against the run of play, Chennaiyin FC had the first real chance of the match. Francis' low cross from the right wing in the eighth minute was latched on to by Jeje at the near post and his shot on the turn missed the far post by a few inches. 

Mandar Rao Dessai looked lively on the left, but his deliveries left a lot to be desired. FC Goa missed a glorious chance in the 12th minute when Lanzarote entered the box and rounded Karanjit. But his chipped pass to Corominas was intercepted by an alert Mailson Alves. 
Corominas then saw a shot blocked by Henrique Sereno. Soon after, Mandar's attempt from distance saw Chennaiyin goalkeeper Karanjit uncharacteristically fumble in front of the goal. But it thankfully went for a corner.
Nelson then managed to cut into the box from the left just before half-time but his subsequent shot just missed the far-post as the scores remained level at the break. 

Chennaiyin FC started the second half with intent and forced Laxmikant Kattimani into a couple of saves from Jeje and Nelson in quick succession. Jeje managed to go past Juste but his volley could not beat Kattimani who, minutes later, denied Nelson from a one-on-one situation. 
FC Goa also created a chance of their own as Pronay Halder played Corominas through inside the box but Mailson was there on time to put him off. 
Mandar then managed to get beyond Calderon in one of the rare instances and his ball into the box found Coro. The former Espanyol striker saw his attempt being deflected off Thapa. Lanzarote was around to slam the ball home as he sent the assembled fans into raptures.
Just seven minutes after having taken the lead, Goa allowed Chennai to score the vital equalizer. Gregory Nelson eased past at least three players and found Thapa in space whose right-footed effort went through the legs of Chinglensana Singh and Kattimani to make it 1-1.
Both coaches threw in a fresh pair of legs in Brandon Fernandes and Mark Sifneos for Goa while Jaime Gavilan was introduced for Chennaiyin. Gavilan made an impact as he made his way into the box but his cross was intercepted by an alter Juste.
Sereno and Mailson went into the book after the former fouled Sifneos from behind. However, Edu Bedia’s curling free-kick was just about kept out by the visitors as they held on.

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