Indian Super League 2019-20 Semi-final 1st Leg, Chennaiyin FC vs FC Goa HIGHLIGHTS: Catch all the live updates from the Indian Super League 2019-20 semi-final 1st leg between Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa through News18 Sports’ live blog. Lucian Goian, Anirudh Thapa, Eli Sabia and Lallianzuala Chhangte scored for the home side as Chennaiyin FC beat FC Goa 4-1 in the first leg of their Indian Super League semi-final. Savior Gama got the only goal for the visitors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, also known as the Marina Arena. Chennaiyin FC finished fourth in the league stage after a stunning turnaround from a rocky start to their campaign. FC Goa, on the other hand, finished on top of the league standings. having done so, won the League Winners Shield – becoming the first Indian team to have booked their place in the group stages of the AFC Champions League.
In fact, the Chennaiyin FC-FC Goa clash is the most played match in the history of the ISL. Chennaiyin have done better when the two sides have clashed in the knockout stages, winning two of the three meetings, including the memorable 2015 final, with the other fixture ending in a draw. Goa though will hardly be fazed by the stat, having won both the matches in the league phase this season. MATCH REPORT
Owen Coyle’s arrival in December turned Chennaiyin’s campaign on its head. With just a single win in their first six matches and even failed to score in four. Since Coyle’s arrival, they are unbeaten in their last eight ISL matches. At the pre-match press conference, Owen Coyle said, “When I came in on December 6th, we were given a 1 or 2% chance to get in the semi-finals. We have managed that but we don’t want to stop. We want to see that through. To do that, we would have to play at our very best because we are playing against a quality side."
“But if we are at our best, we have shown that we can beat anyone. So, we are looking forward to the game and looking forward to standing toe-to-toe with the team that finished at number one. They finished there for a reason. Consistently over 18 games, they were the best team. I would like to think that in the last 12 matches, we certainly matched them and got closer. And that’s what we are looking forward to," added Coyle.
FC Goa secured the AFC Champions League spot, having finished top of the league phase. Even with their long-standing head coach, Sergio Lobera’s sudden departure, the Gaurs continued their stunning form on the pitch, scoring 14 goals and winning all three matches since. In fact, the Gaurs come into the match on the back of a five-match win streak.
Goa’s last win, which was against Jamshedpur FC, was the club’s 50th victory in the ISL. The margin of the 5-0 result was the club’s biggest away victory in the history of the competition. So far, the Gaurs have scored 46 goals in 18 matches – the most by any team in a single ISL season. The club is averaging more than 2.5 goals a game so far this term and have already scored seven goals in the two matches against Chennaiyin this season.
FC Goa’s interim coach Clifford Miranda though wary of the challenge against Chennaiyin. “Chennaiyin are the most difficult team to play against. They are one team we wanted to avoid. They are the most improved team. We knew ATK and Bengaluru would be among the top teams but Chennaiyin were at the bottom of the league and in 12 games under new head coach Owen Coyle, they have accumulated 24 points that puts them right up among the top four. They are unbeaten in the last eight games, scoring 21 goals and that makes them very dangerous. We will play our natural game, but we need to be cautious," he said at the pre-match press conference.
“We work hard as a team defensively. I think we are very solid defensively. If you say that we have conceded 23 goals, then we have also scored 46 goals. We might have conceded the goals because we play a very open game and when we play like that, there are some moments where other things happen. But we have to take the risks. This team has been together since last season and they always know how to play. We are all professional players and are very dedicated," Miranda said when asked about the defence.
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