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The ISL semifinals came to an end as Chennaiyin FC faced off against FC Goa for a spot in the final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
The first leg between the two was an exciting affair in Goa as Chennaiyin FC came away with an away goal ending the match on a 1-1 scoreline. Manuel Lanzarote's opening goal was cancelled out by a strike from substitute Anirudh Thapa, setting up the stage for the second leg in the Marina Arena.
Chennaiyin FC put on a strong all-round performance as they contained the FC Goa attack with an organized defence. Jeje Lalpekhlua scored twice and Dhanpal Ganesh added a goal as Chennaiyin FC won 3-0 on the night to make it 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-final. Chennaiyin FC will now take on Bengaluru FC on March 17 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Chennaiyin FC
Karanjit Singh (7.5/10) - The Chennaiyin keeper was a solid force of resistance between the sticks for the home side as he kept out whatever Goa threw at him. He kept the consistency going in the second half of the match.
Inigo Calderon (6/10) - The Spanish right-back marauded the right flank with his overlapping runs proving a constant option in the attack for the hosts. He was strong at the back as well dealing with Mandar Rao Desai and Narayan Das on his flank.
Henrique Sereno (6/10) - The Chennaiyin FC skipper organised the defence from the back as they did well to keep the Goan attack in check. He was a threat during setpieces as well for the home side.
Mailson Alves (6.5/10) - The central defender played the no-nonsense game in the Chennaiyin FC defence as he put in crunching tackles and made crucial clearances from the back. He used his physicality well to mark the dangerous Coro inside the box.
Jerry Lalrinzuala (6/10) - The young left-back was highly active in both defence and attack as he made good runs on the flank and did well to track back as well.
Dhanpal Ganesh (8/10) - The local Chennai lad doubled the lead for the home side when he scored a header beating his markers on a freekick delivered into the box by Gregory Nelson. He did well in the midfield against the Goan midfielders and did not allow them free reign on the pitch.
Bikramjit Singh (6.5/10) - The defensive midfielder put in a solid shift doing well all across the midfield making a lot of interceptions and tackles helping out the defence. He closed down the Goa attackers well and was tireless on the pitch for the home side.
Raphael Augusto (6.5/10) - The Brazilian midfielder was orchestrating the Chennaiyin attack as they recovered from the initial Goa onslaught. He went past players smoothly displaying his silky ball control skills and threaded in key passes for the attackers ahead.
Gregory Nelson (7.5/10) - The Dutchman was on fire on the left wing as he provided the assists for the goals by Jeje and Ganesh. He was a constant threat whenever Chennaiyin attacked on the counter
Francisco Fernandes (6/10) - The Goa-born Chennaiyin winger played on the right flank and did well to support the attackers with his pace and movement. He combined well with Calderon alongside him and put in good crosses into the box.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (9/10) - The Mizo Sniper got the first goal of the match when he nodded in a header from close range to make it 2-1 on aggregate, after missing an easy chance just a few minutes ago. He added another late on in the match when he captalised on Ali's mistake to seal the win for the Chennaiyin side.
Substitutes:
Anirudh Thapa (4/10) - The goalscorer from the first leg came on for the final twenty minutes of the match and did well in the midfield even having a couple of efforts on the goal.
Jaime Gavilan (4/10) - The Spaniard was put on by John Gregory in the 78th minute as he replaced Augusto in the midfield.
Jude Nworuh (3/10) - The Nigerian midfielder came on to replace Nelson for the final ten minutes of the match.
FC Goa
Naveen Kumar (5/10) - Naveen Kumar returned from suspension to take the spot between the sticks for FC Goa. He had a poor first half as he conceded two goals from close-range headers. The second half was slightly better for the Goa keeper but he ended up conceding a late goal after a defensive mishap.
Narayan Das (6/10) - The Indian international made runs on the flank providing able support to the attackers up ahead. He was substituted just before the hour mark when Brandon Fernandes came on to replace him.
Sergio Juste (5.5/10) - The Spaniard manned the FC Goa defence alongside 'Sana' as they had a tough task of dealing with the Chennaiyin FC attack. He made way for Ali in the second half as Lobera made final changes to the away lineup.
Chinglensana Singh (5/10) - The young central defender played alongside Juste in the backline but had a poor night finding it tough to contain Jeje inside the box. The defence ended up conceding three goals in the match.
Seriton Fernandes (6/10) - The right back for the visitors had a busy night on the pitch as he moved up and down the flank throughout the match. He had the tough task of dealing with Gregory Nelson on his flank.
Pronay Halder (5.5/10) - The tough-tackling defensive midfielder played as the first line of defence against the Chennaiyin midfield. He had a tough time tonight and was subbed in the second half of the match.
Ahmed Jahouh (6.5/10) - The midfielder controlled the flow of play for the Goan side as he distributed the ball from the centre of the park. He was strong in his tackles as well and won back possession on many occasions.
Hugo Boumous (6/10) - The midfielder came in place of Edu Bedia in the midfield for Goa in the lone change made by Lobera from the first leg. He played behind the strikers and had a decent outing tonight.
Manuel Lanzarote (6/10) - The Spanish midfielder was a shadow of his usual self as he struggled to get going throughout the match. He was on setpiece duty for the away side but could not provide the perfect delivery for the attackers tonight.
Mandar Rao Desai (6.5/10) - The Goan lad contributed heavily in the initial attacking onslaught by Goa having two close chances on goal but was denied by Karanjit Singh. He was always a threat coming in from the left flank but could not manage to score despite a number of efforts.
Ferran Corominas (5/10) - The league's top scorer had a rare off night tonight as he struggled to get past the organized Chennaiyin FC defence throughout the game.
Substitutes:
Brandon Fernandes (5/10) - The midfielder came on just before the hour mark as Goa added attacking arsenal in their lineup.
Mark Sifneos (4/10) - The former Kerala Blasters FC man was put on by Lobera in the 67th minute as Goa went all out in search of the elusive goal.
Mohammed Ali (3/10) - The defender came on in the second half to replace Juste in the lineup. His error late in the match led to the third goal for the Chennaiyin FC side.
