ISL 2018/19: Chennaiyin FC 1-3 Delhi Dynamos FC, 5 talking points from the game

Delhi Dynamos registered their first win of this year's campaign against the reigning Champions Chennaiyin FC at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The scoreline read 3-1 which saw the majority of the fans heading towards the exit door with total agony as the home team sits last in the League table currently.

John Gregory's side started the game very brightly, but it was the visitors who took the lead through the young Daniel Lalhlimpuia and netted his debut goal for the club in the 16th minute. Delhi struggled to keep the ball throughout the half and gave away cheap possessions in the dangerous area. The Blues striker Carlos Salom who looked very much involved in the game won the penalty six minutes before the half-time which was calmly converted by Raphael Augusto.

Just when Chennaiyin FC looked to be pushing for the winner, they were caught on the counter by the ex-blue Bikramjit Singh who made it 2-1. Four minutes later, Nandha Kumar took a shot outside the box which was deviated by the Skipper Mailson Alves into his own net. It was a night of misfortune for the Blues who had no luck whatsoever throughout the game.

Comparatively, Chennaiyin FC did put in a good performance today, but they were undone by the lapse of concentration. Josep Gombau will feel that the visitors worked enough to secure all three points. On the other hand, John Gregory would be gutted to lose another game despite putting in a spirited performance.

In this piece, we shall look at the top five talking points from the game between Chennaiyin FC and Delhi Dynamos FC.

#5 Raphael Augusto did not deserve to lose the game

Raphael Augusto was running the show in the middle of the park for Chennaiyin FC. The hosts looked blank when it came down to the creative part of the game. The Brazilian was extraordinary through the first half and did well during the tiny parts of the second half. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile.

After going a goal down early on in the game, Carlos Salom earned a penalty which was converted by the Brazilian to net his second goal of this campaign. He should have added two more to his tally when his extraordinary free-kick was kept out by the Delhi shot-stopper Francisco Dorronsoro, and he missed a sitter from inside the six-yard box to make it count.

It was a test passed in flying colours, and John Gregory will be taking notes of the Brazilian's performance to constantly motivate him.

#2 Nandha Kumar- the only player who shone

The boy from Chennai made it count against his home side by putting an extraordinary performance. Nandha Kumar was the best player for the visitors, the rest of them looked very flat and struggled for ideas all over the pitch.

Whenever the Indian International got the ball, he tried to make things happen through the left flank. The Delhi Dynamos attacker was constantly giving trouble to Inigo Calderon who looked rusty throughout the game. Moreover, he looked decisive in the final third by finding Daniel with a ball that gave Delhi the lead. In the second half, he took a shot from outside the box, which ricocheted off Mailson Alves to double the advantage for the visitors.

Nandha Kumar impressed last season by registering an assist when he took out the field in a 2-2 draw. This has been an eventful ground for the 22-year-old who looked assured from minute to claim the Hero of the Match this time.

#3 Anirudh Thapa is not a good set piece taker

Chennaiyin FC took 8 corners throughout the game, but one cannot even think about a proper one which caused trouble to the Delhi Dynamos defence. John Gregory's men scored 16 goals through set pieces last season, but it has not been the same this season. The likes of Jaime Gavilan ad Rene Mehelic were supreme set piece takers. Their departures have directly affected the blues who are struggling for lack of supply and goals this season.

Except for Andrea Orlandi, who is not getting enough game time, it is almost impossible to point fingers to other players when it comes to taking the corners and free kicks. With the aerial threat of Mailson Alves, Eli Sabia and Raphael Augusto, one is expected to cross the ball highly which would unsettle the opponent's defence.

In the second half, the Indian International took one free-kick from 40 yards which failed to beat the first man. This is another aspect John Gregory will looking to improve further on this season.

#4 Francisco Dorronsoro to Delhi's rescue again

Apart from the goal scored by Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Karanjit remained untested throughout the first half. It was thoroughly dominated by the hosts who kept on piling shots from long range to constantly test the Delhi shot-stopper Francisco Dorronsoro.

The 33-year-old saved an extraordinary freekick to keep Raphael Augusto from entering the score sheet. Had that one went in, the game could have been totally different and the tide could have changed. He was tested early on in the game when Carlos Salom tried to head the ball in the near post, but he punched it away.

In the second half, the Chennaiyin striker forced another save from the keeper when he tried to sneak the ball into the top corner, but Dorronsoro came to Delhi's rescue again. He was largely tested during the first half and had very little to do in the second half.

#5 Eli Sabia makes another mistake

Eli Sabia has been trusted throughout the season, but his lapse of concentration has costed Chennaiyin FC at times. The Brazilian committed to clean out Andrea Kaluderovic rather than tracking back which could have been enough to avoid the second goal from going in.

It certainly is not a gamble, but Eli Sabia had enough time to get himself in a proper position rather than breaking down the defence at the back. He has a superior defensive skillset to cut down the leakage of goals, but his awareness and decision making at times let him down.

Comfortable with the ball, possessing great set piece threat, and capable of defending deep, Eli Sabia needs to learn from his mistakes to become one of the best defenders in the League. John Gregory would have noted things to improve the Brazilian who is yet to form an assured partnership with his compatriot Mailson Alves.