In what turned out to be a frustrating encounter, the former champion, Chennaiyin FC was held to a goalless draw against table-bottomers, Odisha FC, at the GMC Stadium in Goa, on Sunday. The draw took Chennaiyin to the eighth spot, while Odisha continued to lurk at the table's bottom.
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The opening half was relatively a composed one, with both the sides coming up with a total of nine attempts. It included twin saves at the stroke of half-time from Odisha goalkeeper, Arshdeep Singh, as the sides could not break the deadlock.
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The second half was even more composed, with just four attacks coming up. It again saw a couple of saves, this time form Chennnayin keeper, Vishal Kaith, as the deadlock refused to be broken, while the sides shared the honours at the full-time whistle.
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Meanwhile, following the game, Odisha head coach, Stuart Baxter, acclaimed his side's defensive tactics against Chennaiyin. He said, "We have made massive mistakes in the previous games that have presented goals to the opposition. The defensive performance (against Chennaiyin) was very good. The players worked very hard. Apart from one mistake by Steven (Taylor) where he stumbled, I don't remember us being troubled."
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"We were playing a 4-3-3- earlier and Bora was in the central midfield. We knew he (Tratt) could play there. It has worked out well. Players on the field have been doing a good job. Marcelinho is working hard to get back into the picture. If he keeps working hard and we play a style that suits him, (then he will play)," added Baxter.
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Chennaiyin manager, Csaba Laszlo, was confused by the performance of his side, as he reckoned, "From the start of the season, we are the team creating the most chances on the field. I and my staff reorganized the team completely knowing that Rafael is out, we found a new shape and tactic. I must be proud of the team because they understood the plan very quickly."
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"These kinds of chances, you cannot miss. It is not about concentration. I cannot explain, you must push the ball into the net. I am sitting in the dressing room making compliments about the team and then, I am complaining about not scoring," added Laszlo.
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"In most games, we concede a goal or it stays 0-0. The pressure is too much for the whole team and hence, we must be more clinical. I have to defend my defenders, as they have played really well until now. We are not scoring goals and that is why I am upset. This was a game in our pocket. We dominated and didn't score and that's bothering me," Laszlo concluded.
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