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Chennaiyin FC registered a well deserved 3-0 victory over FC Goa in the second leg of the ISL semi-final. A Jeje Lalpekhlua brace was sandwiched between Dhanpal Ganesh's goal, as the southern outfit handed the Gaurs a 4-1 defeat on aggregate.
In doing so, Chennaiyin enter their second ISL final and will lock horns with Bengaluru FC on Saturday. Special mention to winger Gregory Nelson who provided two assists tonight. Here are the major talking points from tonight's exciting clash.
#1 Frantic end-to-end start to the game
The second leg of both the semi-finals started on an extremely positive note. If the match between Bengaluru and Pune was open-ended, tonight's game was equally exciting and started off on full blast.
Both sides went at it and began attacking the opposition half on full throttle. For Goa, Lanzorate, Corominas and Mandar Rao attacked Chennai's back four with all their might. Jeje, Raphael Augusto and Gregory Nelson refused to back down for the home side as they orchestrated extremely dangerous counter-attacks from the get-go.
Like in the first leg, Goa dominated possession while Chennai were happy to absorb the pressure despite being the home side. The game felt like a seamless continuation of the first leg which had the fans on their feet from minute one.
#2 Raphael Augusto starved off possession
Not for the first time this season, Chennai's creative genius was outnumbered and stifled in the middle of the park. As a result, not for the first time this season, the men in blue struggled to keep hold of the ball and this was all down to Raphael Augusto's inability to get involved in the game.
Goa's Ahmed Jahouh did a terrific job in marking him. When he wasn't around, his partner in crime, Pronay Halder took over and continued to frustrate Augusto all night long.
The southern outfit have been overly dependent on Raphael but his failure to impose meant they had to rely on their marksman, Jeje who delivered when it mattered the most. Goa did well to keep the midfielder silent for large parts of the match.
#3 Chennai inflict deadly double blow on Goa
After being pegged in their own half for the best part of the first half, it took Chennaiyin just three minutes to stamp their authority. They took the game by the scruff of its neck and hurt Goa within a short space of time.
Jeje Lalpekhlua opened the floodgates with a well-taken header from inside the box. The Indian marksman was left free and all alone and there was no way he was going to miss from so close. His first in seven matches. Midfielder Dhanpal Ganesh followed it up with an equally exquisite header from close range.
Like for the first goal, Gregory Nelson delivered a pinpoint cross into the heart of Goa's defence. Chennai's local lad rose highest and nestled his header past the hapless keeper. The visitors had no idea what had hit them. Before they could make out, they found themselves trailing by two goals.
#4 Wasteful Goa let Chennaiyin off the hook
There was a duration, in today's game, during which one wondered how many goals the visitors would possibly score. Goa launched wave after wave of attacks in the opening 15 minutes and were bossing every area of the pitch. The home crowd were on the edge.
If in the first leg they were in-adept in the final third, in the second, they were wasteful in front of goal. The Gaurs created at least three clear-cut goal scoring chances in the opening minutes but failed to bury it.
Mandar, Lanzarote and Coro all threatened but could not finish their moves. Their wastefulness came back to haunt them as Chennai punished their opposition, scoring two quickfire goals and sealing the game.
#5 Maturity triumphs enthusiasm in battle of two quality teams
When the game was stretched in the second half, Coro made a cynical challenge and his teammates feared the word. In an attempt to diffuse the situation, they hounded the referee while Coro was livid with the official and came within headbutting distance.
That moment described Goa tonight and over two legs. They displayed a lot of enthusiasm but very little maturity. Chennaiyin, on the other hand, were calm and never panicked when the going got tough.
Coach John Gregory has managed to instil in his players two things -- professionalism and maturity. Two traits that have served the club well at the business end of the tournament. This has helped then during tense moments while Goa crumbled the minute they were tested. Chennaiyin well and truly deserve to partake in the finals of the ISL 2017/18.
