9.20 pm: WHAT A WIN! The full-time whistle blows as Chennaiyin take a massive lead heading into the second leg following a massive 4-1 demolition of FC Goa after goals from Lucian Goian, Anirudh Thapa, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Eli Sabia. The home fans are elated and the home players celebrate the result with a Viking Clap.
FC Goa keeper Mohammad Nawaz is in tears.
9.17 pm: Mandar pings a cross in the box from the left but Doungel fires it over the bar on the volley. Crivellaro also goes off but receives a yellow card for time wasting.
9.14 pm: GOAL! Gama scores his first goal to make it 1-4. The defender capitalises after Goian fails to clear his lines.
9.11 pm: YELLOW CARD! Poor decision from the referee as Goian receives a booking after making contact with Coro.
9.09 pm: FC Goa’s defense is all over the place again as Thapa and Chhangte combine well before the latter finishes the move with a neat finish.
9.08 pm: Princeton comes on for Jackichand as FC make a substitution.
9.06 pm: GOAL! It’s turning to be a nightmare for FC Goa. Valskis fires a cross from the left which is converted by Sabia as Chennaiyin FC add a third.
9.03 pm: ALMOST! Chhangte plays a cut back to Valskis but his pass is just overcooked as Chennaiyin FC miss a golden chance.
8.59 pm: Schembri comes off for Thoi Singh as Chennaiyin FC look to maintain their lead.
8.53 pm: Owen Coyle makes his first substitution as Germanpreet replaces Vanspaul.
8.50 pm: YELLOW CARD! Vanspaul goes into the referee’s book for time wasting.
8.49 pm: FC Goa make their first change as Saviour Gama comes on for Manvir Singh.
8.45 pm: WHAT A BEAUTY! Thapa receives the ball outside the box, cuts inside before curling his shot into the top corner leaving Nawaz with no chance. Chennaiyin FC in the driving seat.
8.40 pm: GOAL! Crivellaro’s cross is headed in by Goian who hands Chennaiyin FC the lead.
8.34 pm: YELLOW CARD! Jerry receives the first booking of the night for making a foul on Coro during a counter-attack.
8.30 pm: PEEP! The second-half resumes and both teams will be aiming to break the deadlock as this contest heats up.
8.15 pm: The scoreline remains goalless at the break as both sides have failed to make their chances count from set-pieces. The opening half has not been cagey affair as expected but Chennaiyin FC have looked sharper and tested goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz on multiple occasions.
8.13 pm: Chennaiyin FC win a free-kick and it is Valskis who drills it low and hard, away from the wall but his attempt hits the post.
8.09 pm: Crivellaro goes down after another tackle from Jahouh. The Moroccan has been immense for FC Goa in midfield so far.
8.05 pm: Goain and Sabia have been a threat from corners for Chennaiyin FC but FC Goa have defended resolutely to keep the two centre-backs at bay.
8.03 pm: WHAT A MOVE! Coro receives the ball in the middle before playing it to Manvir. The striker tees Seriton up on the right who forces a great save from Kaith.
7.58 pm: Jahouh makes a two-footed tackle on Renthlei after the full-back makes a dangerous run on the right wing. Great stuff from the FC Goa midfielder.
7.56 pm: Manvir releases Doungel on the left wing but the ball goes out of play.
7.53pm: The tempo of the game has slowed down and FC Goa are slowly finding their groove.
7.48 pm: Goa concede a free-kick from a dangerous position just outside the box as Vaspaul draws a foul. Chennaiyin FC are knocking on the door.
7.43 pm: Coro plays a lovely pass to Jacki after dropping deep to receive the ball but Jerry makes a vital interception.
7.38 pm: Lenny is closed down by three markers but manages to keep the ball out of danger.
7.34 pm: Nawaz makes the first save of the match after Goian leaps high from a corner but his header does not have enough power to trouble the FC Goa keeper.
7.30 pm: PEEP! Off we go in Chennai.
7.20 pm: Both teams make their way to the field for the national anthem.
7.00 pm: Here’s what Chennaiyin FC boss Owen Coyle had to say about facing FC Goa: If we are at our best, we have shown that we can beat anyone. So, we are looking forward to the game and looking forward to standing toe-to-toe with the team that finished at number one. They finished there for a reason. Consistently over 18 games, they were the best team. I would like to think that in the last 12 matches, we certainly matched them and got closer.
6.55 pm: Brandon Fernandes and Hugo Boumous are out as Manvir Singh and Seiminlen Doungel start for FC Goa. The visitors are without Edu Bedia as well.
6.50 pm: After resting many key players for their last league match against NorthEast United, Chennaiyin FC have named a strong line-up.
6.45 pm: Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa lock horns in a mouth-watering semi-final clash. Goa have already secured the ISL League Winners Shield and an AFC Champions League slot but have never managed to win the trophy. The hosts, on the other hand, will look to continue their fairytale season under Owen Coyle.
Chennaiyin FC will look to make home advantage count against FC Goa when the two sides lock horns against each other in the first leg of their 2019-’20 Indian Super League playoff clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
Both teams head into this fixture in a rich vein of form and that makes the encounter even more promising.
Chennaiyin have been in formidable form since Owen Coyle took charge and they turned fortunes with an eight-match unbeaten run, winning six of them, to end their league stage campaign. Goa have won their last five matches to finish on top of the league table with 39 points from 18 matches.
Rafael Crivellaro and Nerijus Valskis have been in scintillating form for the home team and the duo has scored 20 goals and 11 assists between them. FC Goa’s defence must remain on their toes to contain their attacking impetus.
“Chennaiyin is the most difficult side in the play-offs. It is one team we would have wanted to avoid. They are the most improved side in the league. They are a team that is unbeaten in the last eight games with six wins and two draws. It is going to be difficult for us. But we will play our natural game,” said Goa interim coach Clifford Miranda.
It will be an interesting battle at the centre of the park as Anirudh Thapa and Edwin Vanspaul will be tasked with the responsibility of keeping a check on Goa’s enterprising midfield comprising of Ahmed Jahouh, Hugo Boumous and Brandon Fernandes.
Boumous has been on fire and has been the primary orchestrator for Goa. His vision to find the perfect pass for Ferran Corominas upfront coupled with his own knack of scoring goals at critical junctures makes him one of the most dangerous players on the pitch.
There will be no shortage of pace on the flanks as both the teams have express wingers who do not hesitate to burn their pace while running into opposition defense. Lallianzuala Chhangte will cross paths against Jackichand Singh and a lot will depend on the amount of defensive workload the wingers put in to nullify each other.