Laxmi Negi/Rediff.com lists the five talking points from the Indian Super League match between Mumbai City FC and Chennaiyin FC at the DY Patil stadium
When Mumbai City came to a packed house at the DY Patil stadium, their position in the points table was similar to how they finished in the inaugural season (seventh).
The hosts needed something dramatic to turn the table in their favour but it was not meant to be.
With their hat-trick man, Andre Motirz, already back home in Brazil (for personal reasons), their hopes were pinned on their skipper Sunil Chhetri to deliver the goods. The last time the two teams met in Mumbai, the score was 3-0 and this time Chennaiyan FC defeated the hosts 2-0.
Mumbai remain winless, listless
Only the first five and last five minutes of the game managed to garner some cheers from the crowd. In the first five minutes it looked as if Mumbai urgently wanted to score but soon the ball languished in the midfield.
There was a wake up call for the hosts in the 28th minute when their defense was caught napping. Steven Mendoza did well to steal the ball but fell short in slotting it home. For long the Chennaiyin goalkeeper Edima Edel Bete wasn't tested. He must have been a bored man on the ground. The crowed took matters in their hands and tried Mexican waves but in general it was a dull drab goalless first half.
Changes in Mumbai team but same result
Player-cum-manager Nicolas Anelka made some changes in his team’s formation and released from national duty, skipper Sunil Chhetri and goalkeeper Subrata Paul made their way into the team.
Alas, Mumbai could manage to taste victory.
Mendoza, the man with a nose for goals
The Mendoza sword was always lurking and it looked as if he would score but when was the question. It was put to rest in the 60th minute when a mistake from Mumbai's Pratesh Shirodkar proved too costly.
Elano took and ball away and carefully slotted it to Mendoza who in no time made the score board look like 1-0 in Chennaiyin’s favour. For the first time Mumbai custodian was beaten and their defense was nowhere in sight.
Six minutes later, Chennaiyin's Jayesh Rane took a shot from the 'D' which rebounded from the post. It seemed as if the ball meandered and made its way towards Mendoza, who is always in the right place at the right time and he nodded the ball home to make it 2-0 for Chennaiyin and took his individual tally to five goals from four matches (making him top goal scorer in ISL 2)
Subrata, the star for Mumbai
The half time scoreline read 0-0 but had it not seen the super flexible Subrata Paul in Mumbai’s goal it would have been 2-0 or 3-0 in Chenniyan's favour. He stood like a rock to keep Mumbai afloat in the league.
Here's an example- in the 26th minute Raphael Augusto's well intended shot touched his fingers and to Mumbai’s surprise and Chennaiyin's horror- hit the post.
Sony Norde, where are your scoring boots?
Sony Norde failed to seize the chances that he got.
He scored 10 goals in I-League but strangely can't find his scoring boots in ISL.
In 51st minute, the attacker, with an empty net to aim at, his half-hearted shot was narrowly wide.
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