Former champion Chennaiyin FC survived a stern test from FC Goa, as it pipped it 2-1 in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL), at the Fatorda Stadium in Bengaluru, on Saturday. The win has pushed Goa down to seventh, while Chennayin continues to remain in the eighth spot.
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It was Rafael Crivellaro, who handed Chennaiyin the lead in the fourth minute, which was levelled up by Jorge Ortiz just five minutes later. Nonetheless, Rahim Ali scored the winner in the 54th minute, as an attacking night saw the southern giant walk away with the three points.
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Following the game, Chennaiyin head coach, Csaba Laszlo, was happy but rued the missed chances that could have made the score look even better. "I think it must've been 4-1 or 6-1. There were so many chances that were many missed chances against a quality side like Goa. I'm happy for Rahim Ali, who came on in the big game and scored. We needed the win and I'm proud of the boys for the result. I think it's a good result that can stabilise our team ahead of the next matches," he said.
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"Sometimes, I wish to have a joystick in my hand, so that I can control my players better. It's good to have (Enes) Sipovic and Rafa (Crivellaro) and (Anirudh) Thapa back. It will be complete once Esma (Goncalves) comes back from injury. However, I want my team to be more compact and finish better. I always want my Indian players to put their body on the ball and not overdo it. But, overall, I'm happy with the win," added Laszlo.
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Meanwhile, Goa head coach Juan Ferrando vented his frustrations, as he said, "Today was not really good. We had problems winning the second balls and taking the chances. Many times when we were in good positions, we did not get the transitions right. Chennaiyin were more fresh."
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"We had planned to play with two No. 10s - Brandon and Noguera. But, the transitions were not good, so we had to help our No.6, which is why I took the decision (to substitute Brandon and send Lenny Rodrigues). We had to take these tough decisions in situations like these. For me, the press is the most important thing in football. When we lose possession, we need to press better," concluded Ferrando.
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