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Chennai City FC defeated NEROCA 2-1 in an entertaining encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore. Centre-back Roberto Eslava broke the deadlock for the home side at the 14th minute after taking advantage of a melee from a well-taken Sandro Rodriguez corner kick.
The Southerners doubled the lead at the 52nd minute through Nestor Gordillo after being fed a wonderful through ball by Edwin Vanspaul. The visitors got one goal back courtesy of Subash Singh after he capitalized on the miscommunication between the two center-backs to rocket the ball past the goalkeeper.
NEROCA continued to press forward in search of the equalizer, but their efforts bore no fruits. The final scoreline remained 2-1 in favour of the league-leaders Chennai City, who now remain unbeaten in all of their six games.
This win further solidifies their lead at the top as they are now 8 points clear of nearest competitors Gokulam and Mohun Bagan, albeit playing more matches than them.
#3 Felix Chidi's profligacy in front of goal
It would be unfair to say that NEROCA didn't have enough opportunities to find the equalizer. They had created a lot of chances, but Felix Chidi's selfishness and profligacy in front of goal denied them from getting away with a point.
At the 50th minute, Felix Chidi intercepted a back pass and even deceived the goalkeeper. However, his shot towards the empty net was weakly hit, and Ajith Kumar made a goal-line clearance to clear the ball. At the 74th minute, he got a free header but the shot was off target.
Minutes later, he had the opportunity to turn into a provider as Katsumi was standing unmarked. But, his selfish antics prevailed, and he tried to shoot goalwards from the acute angle. Ultimately, it went out for a goal-kick.
#2 Not slowing down the pace of the game after taking the lead
Usually, when a team is 2-0 up, the manager tells the squad to slow down the pace of the game to wear the time out. However, Akbar Nawas did the opposite as Chennai City FC looked to extend the lead.
The home side could have put the game to bed numerous times but fumbled in the finishing. The high tempo of the game made it easier for Chennai City FC to break on the counter as Charles and Edwin found pockets of space.
One ought to note that Chennai City FC has played all of their matches with a similar approach. We are yet to see them sit down deep, absorb the pressure, and clear the ball out for danger.
This modus operandi, although challenging, has even worked in their away games. If it weren't for the profligacy of Ameeruddin and Nestor, Chennai City FC could have won the match with a more handsome margin.
#1 Beating the offside trap
A high backline and utilization of the offside trap against the Spanish tiki-taka style of football is always risky. NEROCA were successful to some extent as the assistant referee had to raise the flag a total of thirteen times against their opponent.
However, Chennai City FC also beat the offside trap a total of six times, one of them resulting in the second goal. The Southerners' plan to find the back of the net is quite simple. Edwin or the Spanish compatriots will deliver one through ball which will split up the entire defence. The striker will find himself in a one-on-one position with the keeper and score.
However, they overcook it in the final third and fail to do so. If Chennai City FC can rope in one lethal central striker in the winter transfer window, no one can stop them from winning the 2018-19 Hero I-League.
