#2 Chhetri has another off-day
The Indian captain has had a rather forgettable ISL after an unforgettable AFC Cup run with Bengaluru FC. Today, once again, he looked visibly tired. There was not the usual spring that we see in Chhetri’s step. It was visible to see that he was half a second late to react to most things around him.
Like in the first leg, Chhetri’s passing was once again woeful. He tried to bring the likes of Defederico and Sony Norde into the game, but only managed to find Kolkata defenders.
Mumbai’s best opportunity on the night fell to their captain, but the jewel in Indian football’s crown did not have a finish. Lucian Goian made a tackle that turned into an outstanding pass for Chhetri as he ran clear of the defenders to face Debjit. But as with most other things he did on the night, he was a fraction late in pulling the trigger.
That gave Sereno a chance to cut out the angle towards the far post and Debjit got in the way of the near-post blast.
In Forlan’s absence, Alexandre Guimaraes would have expected Chhetri to step up, take up the captaincy mantle and lead by example, as he so often does with aplomb. But on the day, unfortunately for the Costa Rican and Mumbai, the talisman had a bad day at the office.
