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The second season of the Indian Super League is nearing closure with only the final match left to be played. Chennaiyin FC will be up against FC Goa in the summit clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa to take home the title.
FC Goa lost the first leg of their semi-final to Delhi Dynamos in Delhi 1-0, but were clinical in the second leg at home as they went on to register an emphatic 3-0 win and book their place in the final with a convincing 3-1 aggregate result. On the other hand, Chennaiyin FC practically sealed their place in the final with a 3-0 thrashing of the reigning champions Atletico de Kolkata in the first leg of the second semi-final. The West Bengal outfit tried to fight their way back in the second leg, but their big loss in the first leg left them too much to do and despite a 2-1 win – which included a spectacular strike from their leading forward Iain Hume – went out with a 4-2 defeat over the two legs.
In the league phase of the tournament, Chennaiyin ran riot in the away clash against Goa and registered an emphatic 4-0 win. However, Goa had their revenge in their away leg as they went on to win 2-0.
The two teams have been the strongest at this year’s tournament and it is no surprise that they are competing for the title. Goa opted for a 3-5-2 formation in the second leg of their semi-final against Delhi, while Chennai went with a 4-4-1-1 line-up. Stiven Mendoza was at the tip of the attack and just behind him was India international Jeje Lalpekhlua.
Chennai manager Marco Materazzi has shown great flexibility with his formations and his line-ups have been varied depending upon the opposition they have been up against. And the wily Italian will have done his homework for the final as well.
Goa will also be greatly boosted by the fact that they will be playing the summit clash on their home turf and the support may just help them win the second edition of the Indian Super League.
Wasi is a keen fan with loads of knowledge about the game. He has written for some of the world’s leading soccer websites and is a major Barcelona and Pune City FC fan. He loves the Champions League and watches 200+ EPL games & La Liga games per season.