After having run out of contention for the final four, Indian Super League sides FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC signed off their 2016 campaign with one of the most entertaining matches of the whole tournament. The Gaurs emerged victorious in a nine-goal thriller, which 'see-sawed' throughout the game.
Joffre, Rafael Coelho and Sahil Tavora were the goal scorers for the home side, while Jerry Lalrianzuala, Dudu Omagbemi and John Arne Riise scored for the Super Machans. One of their goals was an own goal by Gregory Arnolin.
Here are the five talking points from the entertainer.
#1 FC Goa exact some revenge and salvage a bit of pride
Zico's men had a very painful end to their campaign last season when they lost the finals 3-2 to Chennaiyin FC after conceding two goals in the dying minutes of the game. The 2015 ISL finalists also had a nightmare campaign this term as they were the first team to get out of contention for play-offs qualification. However, the Gaurs were able to take revenge and also salvage little pride on Thursday.
Even though the scoreline is different this time, the ending of the game was quite similar to last season's finals. The significant difference between the two matches is the winner. Chennai caused heartbreak to Goa last time, but this time it's vice versa. Zico's men scored a late winner on the night and made things worse for the reigning champions.
Thursday's win over the Super Machans also helped reclaim a little of Goa's pride. They did an impressive job to overcome the current champions, and that will be a source of relief for the whole team.
#2 Indian teenagers impress
Chennaiyin FC's Jerry Lalrianzuala has been one of the best things to have happened in this season's Indian Super League. The player cemented his spot as the team's left back after two substitute appearances at the beginning of the season.
On Thursday, Chennai manager Marco Materazzi also gave a chance to two other youngsters - Daniel Lahlimpuia and Anirudh Thapa. Despite their inexperience, all the three players were very impressive against Goa on the night.
Chennaiyin FC's first goal of the night was scored by left-back Jerry Lalrianzuala. The youngster's goal was a stunning free-kick and is worth some praise. Jerry's splendid strike gave FC Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani no chance. This goal might have also raised the 18-year old's chance to win the Emerging player of the season.
Both Daniel Lahlimpuia and Anirudh Thapa also played important roles in Chennai's second goal. Daniel, in fact, also got the assist for Dudu's goal.
The starlets showed glimpses of their potential on the night, and these are signs of good things to come.
#3 Sahil Tavora: The local hero
We spoke about how FC Goa caused heartbreak to Chennaiyin FC through a last minute goal on Thursday, but who was behind it? The answer: Goan local player Sahil Tavora. The 21-year old scored two goals for his side, out of which one was a 95th-minute winner, after coming on as a substitute and turned into a hero for the club.
Tavora's first goal helped Goa equalise the score at 3-3. However, the best part of his night was the stunning winner that he scored. The player curled the ball into the net from the left side, giving the goalkeeper no chance, and won the game.
Scoring a winner for your local team is a dream for everyone and Tavora fulfilled it on Thursday. The midfielder turned into a hero for his team and helped his team claim a win over the past year's champions.
#4 Eight Indian players did more than enough for Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC had a very disappointing ISL campaign this term and are out of contention for the semi-finals qualification. The South Indian club's manager Marco Materazzi, who had nothing to lose, decided to go for a line-up with eight Indian players and that worked out well. Only Dudu Omagbemi, Bernard Mendy and Eder Montero were the foreigners in the team's starting line-up against Goa.
We already mentioned that youngsters Jerry Lalrianzuala, Anirudh Thapa and Daniel Lahlimpuia impressed for the Marina Machans. The other Indians in the team were Karanjit Singh, Harmanjot Khabra, Thoi Singh, Abhishek Das and Siam Hanghal.
All these Indian players did a good job on the night and played well as a team. Materazzi's side didn't show any signs of missing the foreign stars, and that was a splendid thing to see.
Raphael Augusto, Davide Succi and John Arne Riise came on for three Indians in the second half, but three of the teams were scored before any of these substitutions. This stat tells a lot about the performance of the 'Indian players-focused' Chennaiyin FC team.
#5 Rafael Coelho does it for Chapecoense
Monday was a tragic day for the whole footballing world, as we saw the flight carrying the Brazilian Chapecoense football squad crash and kill 71 passengers, including many of the team's players. Tributes have been given to the club since the news came out and many of us are still in shock.
In the ISL match between FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC, two former Chapecoense players had featured. The two players are Goa's Rafael Coelho and Richarlyson. Striker Reinaldo, who didn't play on the night, was also a former player of the Brazilian club. The pain and shock these players are going through are unimaginable. However, two of them played for their club on Thursday and did their best.
Rafael Coelho even scored two important goals for his side despite having a bad week. The Brazilian paid tribute to his former team after he scored his first goal by revealing a shirt with "Forca Chape" written on it. Obviously, the player was booked for it, but a yellow card didn't stop Coelho from showing his love for his former club.
FC Goa had also paid tribute before the game by holding a banner in support of Chapecoense during the team photo.
