Delhi Dynamos defeated defending champions Chennaiyin FC 3-1 at their home. The Lions showed a display of commanding and disciplined football, keeping the ball at their feet and creating chances at will.
Helped by some shambolic defending from Chennaiyin FC, the Gianluca Zambrotta-side made a strong start to their ISL 2016 journey and look a formidable side already.
Marcelinho, the Brazilian left-winger, scored two goals for the visiting team. He scored the first with a penalty and added the second with a brilliant finish from a Richard Gadze pass. Dudu Omagbeni made it 1-1 with a calm finish, which Antonio Doblas should’ve saved.
In the end, Kean Lewis made a superb curling cross which was nodded in by the tall and lanky Badara Badji, who had come on on for Richard Gadze.
Here, we take a look at the five talking points of the game.
#1 Kean Lewis has carried his form to ISL 2016
Kean Lewis was welcomed to the ISL by Delhi Dynamos on the back of an impressive I-League 2016. The Mohun Bagan winger impressed everyone with his silky touches and mazy runs throughout the game.
Keeping Mehrajuddin Wadoo, an attacking full-back who loves to bomb ahead to attack in check is no mean feat, but Kean was able to do exactly that. Having created two brilliant goal-scoring opportunities for the visiting team in the first half, the winger kept possession well and provided a brilliant curling cross for Badji for the third goal.
Lewis had a brilliant I-League with Mohun Bagan and his almost telepathic bonding with his attacking team-mates would have pleased Gianluca Zambrotta, the Delhi Dynamos coach.
#2 Dudu and Jeje a better pair than Jeje and Succi
Dudu Omagbemi, the former FC Goa player started the match with Indian forward Jeje Lalpekhlua in attack. The pair looked comfortable and gave the Delhi Dynamos’ defence a hard time.
Linking up well and creating chances for each other, the pair looked better than the Jeje with Davide Succi partnership, which started the match against Atletico de Kolkata.
The 31-year-old Dudu, particularly, looked in fine shape and his hunger was quite visible throughout the game. The Nigerian has been in India for 15 years now and yet is seen as a fringe or an impact player off the bench for Chennaiyin.
With more strong outings, Dudu would surely be able to cement a place in the starting XI.
The goal was a fine piece of finishing from the experienced striker, which was supplied to him by a brilliant through ball from his partner-in-crime, Jeje.
#3 Duwayne Kerr needs to pull his socks up
Duwayne Kerr had an almost forgettable day under the bar. The Chennaiyin FC goalkeeper gave away two easy chances for Delhi in the first half with shambolic bloopers, and could have done better with two of the goals which went in.
He Had a slightly better second half, though.
The Jamaican looked shy of confidence and did not do enough in the game. He made a mess of Kean Lewis’ shot in the first half which was converted into a goal, only to be ruled offside.
The big keeper looked too slow at times and should pull up his socks to make sure he deserves a place in the XI, as Indian goalkeeper Karanjit Singh is waiting in the wings if Kerr makes more errors..
#4 Delhi Dynamos look a better side with the new signings
It could finally be Delhi Dynamos’ season! When the coach keeps a player like Florent Malouda on the bench, it better pay off, and it did for Delhi. Zambrotta boldly kept the team’s best player of last season on the bench and the team showed no signs of missing him.
Playing quick players on both the wings, brilliant passing from the middle of the park from Memo and Tebar, and Marcelinho up top, worked wonders for Delhi.
The attacking players linked well and Richard Gadze showed willingness to run behind defenders, which saw him get his second goal with a pin-point finish. Milan Singh, too, played his part to perfection, winning the penalty for the first goal.
Marcos Tebar and Memo showed a lot of maturity; the two created chances in attack and did the dirty work defensively in the middle of the park.
With Ruben Gonzalez leading the defence, Delhi already look a better side on the pitch than last year. If they keep playing to their strengths, Delhi can go further than last season, when they reached the semi-finals.
Delhi look a composed side, kept possession and played the game at their own pace. The players showed the hunger and will for each other and seemed content to fight for the team’s cause, which augurs well for the Zambrotta-led squad.
#5 Chennaiyin FC needs to step up their game in both attack and defence
The defending champions looked poor on the field. Lucky goals got them a 2-2 draw against Atletico de Kolkata, whereas a sound technical and tactical display from the Delhi Dynamos opened up the Machans.
The Marco Materazzi side played at an abysmal pace and didn’t do enough on the pitch tonight.
Missing the speed and abilities of Stiven Mendoza and the creativity of Elano Blumer, the Chennaiyin team got the tactics wrong by playing Hans Mulder and Rafael Augusto in center midfield.
The pair played deeper roles, which opened a lot of space in between the midfield and the hard-working strikers, Jeje and Dudu.
Jayesh Rane and Baljit Sahni, the wingers, would have to create better chances for their strikers to exploit. The two left their full-backs exposed most of the time, and didn’t even contribute much to the attack. The defence, too, must have given the coach a bit of worry.
Kean Lewis kept Wadoo silent for most of the game, and experienced centre-backs John Arne Riise and Bernard Mendy looked too slow against the speed of Marcelinho and Richard Gadze.
