Chennai: Chennaiyin FC have the onerous challenge of overturning a 0-3 deficit against Kerala Blasters in the second leg of the Indian Super League semifinal here on Tuesday. The home team have a mountain to climb after falling to a debilitating defeat in the away match but they will want to believe that mountains are only there to be scaled.Chennaiyin need everything from their players on the field and fans at the stands to accomplish the task, which is improbable but not impossible. Sushant Mathew of Kerala twisted the knife in Chennaiyin’s already festering wound by adding a third goal at the death in the first leg.
Mathew’s stunning curler made the mountain grow even taller and the home team must be armed with extra oxygen cylinders when they start the arduous climb at 7 pm on Tuesday. Marco Materazzi’s team must believe in themselves to undo the damage done at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi at their home, also named after the first prime minister of India. Chennaiyin never lost a match in their fortress in the league stage but the challenge in hand isn’t only about winning; it’s about winning by four goals.
What was supposed to be a celebration of Chennaiyin’s progress to the final in their last match of the season at home has now assumed a sombre hue. Materazzi will be hoping that his players have the strength in mind and goals in their boots to help Chennai fans belt out victory songs instead of dirges at the end of the match. It would be an understatement to say that Chennaiyin were dreadful in the first leg. They were wretched.
Kerala have tasted blood and will be hungry for more. A team that had scored only nine goals in the 14 league matches managed to hit three in one to send their fans into raptures.
Chennaiyin’s productivity up front that resulted in a league record of 24 goals masked their problems at the back. Despite finishing on top of the table, they had the worst defensive record behind Mumbai City FC. In stark contrast to Chennaiyin’s generosity, Kerala’s miserly defence saw them concede only 11 goals in 14 matches, the lowest among the eight teams.
Canadian forward Iain Hume was Kerala’s most dangerous player in the league and he was also in his element in the first leg, scoring his team’s second that dispirited Chennai. More misery is guaranteed to the home team if they don’t pay enough attention to the combative player in their quest to score four.
Chennaiyin’s talisman Elano was not at his best in the first leg on his return from injury and the whole of Tamil Nadu will look up to the leading scorer of the tournament for some magic on Tuesday. Materazzi keeps saying that no good team can play two bad matches in succession and it is up to his players to prove him right.
