CHENNAI: Before their match against Goa, Chennaiyin coach, Thomas Brdaric, challenged his players to take to the field with the same intensity and desire they showed during their first two games. But poor marking, some questionable finishing and below par agility meant they suffered their first defeat of the season.
They now have four points from three games. Riding on the brilliance of Redeem Tlang, Noah Sadaoui, and especially, Dheeraj’s goalkeeping, Goa ran out 2-o winners at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Friday.
It was a cagey opening with both teams not getting clear cut chances before Goa took the lead with their first presentable chance of the game. After Sadaoui collected a long ball, he took it to the touchline before sending a cross. Redeem did the rest, getting ahead of Narian Das to send the ball past Devansh Das.
CFC had the opportunity to restore parity but Dheeraj diverted Rahim Ali’s against the crossbar. Forward Petar Sliskovic failed to convert the rebound. The hosts had other opportunities but squandered all of them.
That same pattern repeated multiple times in the second half as Goa hung on. They made the points safe when Sadaoui, who assisted the first goal, turned finisher for the second. They are the only side with a 100 per cent record in the league. They next face Hyderabad next Saturday. For Chennai, it’s a trip to East Bengal on November 4.