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Full Time: Chennai City FC 3-1 Mohun Bagan AC
Scorer: Néstor Gordillo (8'), Sandro Rodríguez (15'), Pedro Manzi (23') for CCFC and William Lalnunfela (37') for MB
Hero of the Match: Néstor Gordillo (CCFC)
In a very crucial game of the against the 'Kolkata Giants' Mohun Bagan, Chennai City FC almost sealed the deal to get one more step closer to the Hero I-League 2018-19 title as they outplayed the Mariners 3-1 on Sunday, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Coimbatore.
After today's encounter, table toppers Chennai City FC reached the 40-point mark, 7 points more than Real Kashmir FC who are at the second place in the league table. Mohun Bagan are currently at the sixth place with 26 points from their 18 outings.
Three changes were made in the starting XI of Chennai City FC which defeated Shillong Lajong FC 4-2 in their previous encounter. Akbar Nawas replaced Jozef Kaplan and Alexander Jesuraj by Tarif Akhand and Sriram. Roberto Eslava also returned to the pitch today against the Mariners.
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan coach Khalid Jamil brought Omar Elhusseiny and Lalramzauva Khiangte back in the starting XI and won 2-1 against Aizawl FC, replacing Mehtab Hossain and Amey Ranawade.
Let's have a look at the three major reasons why Chennai City FC outplayed Mohun Bagan 3-1.
#3 Chennai City FC dominated the midfield with the ball possession
It were the hosts who kept their dominance over the visitors throughout the match. Akbar Nawas' men snatched the match from the Mariners in the first half as the scoreline became 3-0 within just 23 minutes in favour of Chennai City FC.
Mohun Bagan players were surprisingly allowing the opponent players to have the ball possession in favour of them. There was no such urgency to score, even the Mariners were lacking in the defence too. Lots of miss-passes and misunderstandings between the Mohun Bagan players gave Chennai City FC their desired advantage.
Even though William Lalnunfela scored in the 37th minute for the Mariners, it was not enough to make an impact on the CCFC side. Mohun Bagan forwards failed to create any notable goalscoring opportunity throughout the match. The 'team game' was missing in today's match which was expected from Khalid Jamil's men. The statistics of today's match is clearly telling the storyline of the match as it ended up 3-1 in favour of the hosts.
#2 Lusterless defending from the Mariners gave Chennai City FC the advantage
Chennai City FC put three goals on the board within just 23 minutes of the match and Mohun Bagan's lusterless defending definitely deserves credit for the scoreline!
Néstor Gordillo broke the deadlock for his side in the 8th minute of the match as he accurately slotted home almost from the centre of the park. Gordillo made no mistake to score from a distance of 50 yards after getting the ball from Sandro Rodríguez, beating Shilton Paul who was out of his line.
In the 15th minute, Sandro Rodríguez doubled the lead for Chennai City FC as he just pushed the ball far from the Maroon and Greens custodian Shilton Paul, to find the back of the net. The goal came from just three passes after the counter-attack was made by Chennai City FC from a Mohun Bagan corner. At the time of the counter-attack, only one defender was there in the Maroon and Greens half and Mohun Bagan paid the price.
In the 23rd minute, Néstor Gordillo assisted for the second time in the match as he gifted the ball to Pedro Manzi, beating two defenders. Pedro Manzi netted the ball to score his 19th Hero I-League 2018-19 goal quite easily. It seemed like Mohun Bagan defenders were just roaming around the park, allowing Chennai City FC strikers to make the scoreline 3-0!
In the 77th minute, Pedro Manzi got another chance to score as Mohun Bagan's decrepit defence allowed him much space up front. In that one on one situation, Mohun Bagan goalie Shilton Paul was sent off by the referee as he had no choice left except challenging Pedro Manzi outside the box.
#1 Pedro Manzi, Néstor Gordillo and Sandro Rodríguez played the role of the pied piper for Chennai City FC
Néstor Gordillo's perfect vision with the ball, Pedro Manzi's excellent understanding with his fellow teammates and Sandro Rodríguez's exceptional ability of pinpoint passing are enough to debacle the opponent defence.
These three Spaniards have shown the consistency on the pitch which played a vital role in each and every match so far. Pedro Manzi, Néstor Gordillo and Sandro Rodríguez have played the role of the pied piper for Chennai City FC. In today's match, each of them got one goal to make it 3-1 for their side, continuing their impressive show.
These three fellow countrymen deserve the credit for Chennai City FC's current position in the league table and we will not be surprised if they lift the Hero I-League 2018-19 trophy, at the end of the campaign.
