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Just as it happened earlier in Chennai, the Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin FC played out a 1-1 stalemate in the second game of the Indian Super League today.
It was 2-2 when the two sides met earlier at the 'Marina Arena' and once again the two sides had to settle for a point each.
Both goals came in the second half - Kalu Uche giving the Dynamos the lead before captain for the day, Mailson Alves got one back for Chennaiyin. The Dynamos are already out of the race for the playoffs, but for Chennaiyin the point means they stay in fourth, one behind Jamshedpur FC.
Here are the major talking points from the game:
#5 Defensive reshuffle
The team news for this fixture was one of great interest, especially as far as Chennaiyin were concerned. Their captain and key defender Henrique Sereno was sent off in the last game and as such did not feature today. So the question was what would Chennaiyin's backline look like?
Well, John Gregory opted to push right-back Inigo Calderon to centre-back to partner Mailson Alves. Keenan Almeida was brought in at right-back.
And with Sereno missing, Gregory could play a foreigner elsewhere and Jaime Gavilan partnered Raphael Augusto in midfield with Dhanapal Ganesh sitting behind them.
#4 A snooze fest
If you missed the first half of this game, take our word, you didn't miss much.
It looked like the game was almost being played in slow motion.
Chennaiyin seemed to have come out with the intent of feeling out their opponents. That's exactly what they did. There was no real purpose or probing from them despite having two attacking midfielders in Jaime Gavilan and Raphael Augusto in the mix. Not going behind in the game seemed to be the objective.
The Dynamos too looked lethargic and with them not going all out, Chennaiyin couldn't find the spaces to exploit on the counter. Lallianzuala Chhangte showed some spark as always with some good balls into the box and a few good runs as well. But, still a largely forgettable first half.
#3 Penalty pains again for Chennaiyin
The Blues from Chennai aren't exactly enjoying the best of times with penalties, are they?
In their last game, at home to Bengaluru FC, down a man and trailing 1-2, they were presented with a superb chance to draw level thanks to a penalty. But Jeje Lalpekhlua's effort was feeble and the chance was missed. They ended up losing 1-3 in the end.
Today, after threatening to score first, they fell behind thanks to a penalty conceded when Raphael Augusto clipped Matias Mirabaje in the box. It looked a touch soft as the contact was minimal and Mirabaje was looking for it, but it was given nonetheless.
Kalu Uche scored for the Dynamos in the 59th minute to give his side the lead. 1-0 to the Dynamos.
#2 Two HUGE chances for Chennaiyin
Just before half-time, Jaime Gavilan played Dutch winger Gregory Nelson through on goal with a perfectly timed ball. Nelson had just the keeper to beat, but instead of going across the keeper with his effort, his shot was hopelessly over the bar.
In the second, Chennaiyin looked to come out with some more intent and had another big chance. This time it fell to Gavilan; Jerry Lalrinzuala's cutback from the left found it's way to the Spanish midfielder, but his right-footed effort was saved smartly by Dynamos keeper Xabier Iruetaguena with his feet.
Minutes later the Dynamos took the lead.
#1 A very costly handball
Chennaiyin equalized thanks to Mailson Alves' header in the 81st minute from a free-kick into the box. It could have so easily been avoided though.
After the Dynamos had cleared from a Chennaiyin attack, the ball fell to Lallianzuala Chhangte. Under no pressure at all, the youngster just had to get control of the ball and he could have initiated a quick counter. But in his haste, he used his arm to get the ball under control.
That proved to be very costly for the Dynamos, a story of their season. Rene Mihelic's delivery was attacked by Mailson, who got there before Delhi's keeper and defenders could, to pull his side level.
Chennaiyin were in danger of losing two on the bounce for the first time this season, but a helping hand from Chhangte changed that.
