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Leaving behind their disappointing loss against Real Kashmir, Chennai City climbed on top of the I-League table again with a superb performance against Shillong Lajong. A thumping 6-1 victory shows how dominant they were in the match.
With 21 points from 10 matches, Chennai City regained the top position within 24 hours, three clear of the nearest rivals Neroca FC and Real Kashmir. Lajong stay at the bottom of the table with four from 10 outings.
After a barren run, Pedro Manzi found his scoring boots again with an impressive hat-trick. A Nestor Gordillo brace and Roberto Eslava header was enough for Chennai to capitulate their rivals. The goal-fest started in the 12th minute and ended in 80th with a penalty. In between, Samuel Lalmuanpuia scored a consolation for Lajong.
Let us look at the three reasons why Chennai City won the match:
#3 Pedro Manzi, who enters history books with another hat-trick
It was almost two months ago that Spanish player Pedro Manzi got his last goal, against Gokulam Kerala in 3-2 away win. Despite playing some matches in between, he couldn’t find the back of the net.
After a brief injury which kept him sidelined for a couple of matches, Manzi was not looking that dangerous like he was earlier. However, the Uruguay-born forward silenced his critics with another impressive performance.
Manzi took the league by storm after scoring a hat-trick in their opening match against Indian Arrows. Against last boy Shillong Lajong, he scored another.
He is among the few players who scored two hat-tricks in the same season. Players like Odafa Okolie and Jeje Lalpekhlua have done that before. The last player to achieve the same feat was Cornell Glen three years ago for Shillong Lajong.
He scored his first goal three minutes into the second half after being played a delightful through ball by Edwin Vanspaul. Manzi had open space in front o him with the goalkeeper to beat. He finished it of keeping his cool.
He got his second in the 78th minute through another beautiful ball from Vanspaul and finished it off with a sumptuous volley. He got his hat-trick three minutes later when Vanspaul was fouled in the box and Manzi converted from the resultant spot-kick.
He could’ve added more had he not missed the chances. He got two chances in the first half but couldn’t convert. Just before the final whistle, his striker from the box ricocheted off the bar.
But that doesn’t take away his achievement. Finally, he got back into scoring and deservedly awarded with the man of match award. He now has scored seven goals – one less than Willis Plaza – and climbed to the second position in the top-scorers' list.
#2 Samuel’s free-kick stands out but no plan ‘B’ for Lajong
Just three minutes into the second half, Lajong skipper Samuel Lalmuanpuia committed a mistake inside his own half. He lost the ball cheaply, which resulted in the third goal for Chennai City.
But Samuel came up in style with a brilliant free-kick three minutes later. From 35 yards, he smashed a brilliant knuckle-ball striker into the top corner of the net. The ball had so much power that Chennai goalkeeper Nauzet Santana had no chance to stop it.
This came as a consolatory goal for Lajong, who otherwise delivered another dismal performance of their campaign. Coach Alisan Kharsintiew will now have to seriously think about the future of their campaign. Their ultra-defensive strategy is not bearing any fruits as the defenders letting their team down in almost every match.
Chennai dominated the ball all over the match, which was expected. At least eight players were acting as defenders whenever the home team came for an attack. Even then, they conceded half a dozen due to their poor gameplan.
The defenders don’t have the experience to keep their calm in front of the box. They lost the ball too many times inside their own half. The gaps between the central defenders were too much and Chennai exploited the opportunity by playing shorts passes.
Even though the conceded four goals after the break, they performed better in the second half. There was an intent among some of the players, including Samuel, who created few chances from the middle. But the absence of a positive striker in the attacking third proved too costly for the visitors.
#1 Brilliant Nestor Gordillo puts up another impressive performance
Chennai City have a Spanish brigade this time in the team. But not all of them are superb. But the one player who works harder than anyone on the pitch is definitely Nestor Gordillo. Even though he is a midfielder, Gordillo already has six goals to his name.
Gordillo has been a menace for Lajong on the left side with his power and skills throughout the match. He came down constantly to help his teammates and whenever he got the ball, he looked for Manzi.
His first goal was a build-up from the practice session routines. From a free-kick, Sandro Rodriquez made a low pass and Gordillo took the shot first time, which hit the post before dropping inside. There was some confusion over whether the ball had crossed the line but the referee appears to have made the right decision.
He got his second in the 2nd half, when Edwin Vanspaul’s pinpoint pass found him inside the box and Gordillo had only the goalkeeper to beat.
Apart from passing and controlling the ball, Gordillo can also shoot from distance, which he attempted a few times against Lajong.
