ISL 2019-20: Chennaiyin FC vs Odisha FC Live Commentary

2-2

                                                                                                 51' 72' Valskis        54' Xisco

                                                                             82' Aridane

Another wonderful game here in Chennai and it had goals, although the home team would've loved another win. They seemed to have had it in the kitty until the 82nd minute when Aridane smacked in a fine finish past Kaith to equalise for Odisha. The visitors have earned a point here and deserve it for their hard work and control in the first half. An enthralling game of football as four goals are shared between the two teams and so are the points. Gombau will be the happier of the two managers though having gotten the point. Chennaiyin move to eighth place whereas Odisha remain in sixth.  FULL-TIME HERE IN CHENNAI AS BOTH TEAMS HAVE TO SHARE A POINT EACH. THE PLAYERS AREN'T TAKING IT LIGHTLY THOUGH AS GOIAN AND DIAGNE COME TO BLOWS WITH EACH OTHER AND THINGS ARE TURNING UGLY HERE AS BOTH OF THEM ARE FORCED AWAY BY THE PLAYERS AND STAFF OF THE TWO TEAMS.  90+3' Chennaiyin are trying their hardest but the ball is cleared out for a Chennaiyin throw-in. That should be that. Or is it? Odisha are defending the point with their very lives here. 90+2' Chennaiyin come close as a cross from Dragos finds Valskis' head but the striker heads it across the face of goal. 90' Into stoppage time we go with three minutes being added. 88' Final few minutes in this thrilling encounter as Odisha fight hard to keep an on-rushing Chennaiyin at bay. It will be a hard-earned point for them no doubt. Phew!! That second half has gone off in a blur. 86' Both teams now fighting hard. Odisha have done the hard work and can rescue a point here, Chennaiyin are going for the full monty as they have to. 82' What a finish!! Aridane Santana is the hero for Odisha as he brings the tourists level with his fourth goal of the season. A looping ball fell to the striker and it is a top-quality finish with a turn and shot past Kaith. A goal of the highest quality from the Spaniard. The game is turned on its head again. 2-2 now with eight more minutes to go.  80' Into the final ten minutes we go as Chennaiyin look to hold on and Odisha push on for the equaliser. A riveting final 10 minutes on offer here in Chennai. 77' Chennaiyin make their final change as Rahim Ali comes on for Crivellaro for the final 15 minutes. 76' Chennaiyin's confidence is sky-high as they keep running at the Odisha backline. The visitors being pegged back in their own half. 74' Odisha make their final change as Lahlimpuia comes on for captain Marcos Tebar 72' GOAL, CHENNAIYIN!!! Valskis is the man again as he thumps in the header off a corner past a diving Arshdeep Singh. Chennaiyin are back in the lead. Valskis does the Cristiano celebration and for sure he will be delighted with that finish.  68' Odisha make their second change of the game bringing on Martin Guedes for Rodriguez.  66' Chennaiyin win a free-kick as the rain comes petling down in Chennai. The players can't catch a break 62' Chennaiyin make their second switch of the game as Dragos comes on for Thoi Singh.  58' Those two goals have opened the floodgates with both teams fighting it tooth-and-nail to gain ascendancy in this game. Both teams look liberated and this game now has the makings of another cliff-hanger here in Chennai, but who will come up trumps? 54' GOAL!! Odisha hit back and in style and it's much similar to the Chennaiyin goal as Jerry squares it off to Xisco who slots it home. It came off Goian's leg to go in on goal, but Odisha won't mind as long as it is in the back of the net. The visitors hit back and hit quickly. The game has taken some real steam in the second half.  51' GOLAZOO!! What a wonderful team goal that is from Chennaiyin. Crivellaro picks off a loose ball off the clearance from the keeper and puts it through for Thoi who puts it through for Valskis to tap into the goal. A goal of high quality from the home team. That will break the shackles and puts the Machans on pole position now. We have the home team leading. That has got the fans up on their feet.  49' Germanpreet is booked for a lunging tackle on Mawihmingthanga Both teams make half-time substitutions as Chennaiyin swap Masih for Germanpreet  and Odisha bring on Bikramjit for Vinit Rai SECOND HALF BEGINS AS CHENNAIYIN RESTART  It takes no surprise to guess the score as both teams haven't shown their incisive nature in the first 45 minutes and walk into the tunnel to refresh and recharge their batteries. The game has ebbed and flowed both ways but neither team has created proper chances or rather finished them as well with Jerry's close-range miss for Odisha just before half-time an example. Hopefully, the second half can produce an opener to break the shackles, but it remains 0-0 for the moment.  HALF-TIME IN CHENNAI AND WE ARE STILL GOALLESS  45+1' What a chance?!! There was the opening for Odisha albeit a difficult one, Jerry this time on the right-hand side takes a shot at goal but drags it agonizingly wide of Kaith's goal. That was the best chance of the half and that should be that for the first half. 45' Both teams haven't been at their incisive best in this game despite making inroads into the opposition's half and by the looks of it, we could have yet another goalless first half in Chennai as an addition of one minute is announced. 43' The fans of the home team are doing their best to cheer up their players as we count down to half-time. Could either team buck the narrative of the game? 40' Final five minutes of the first half as Chennaiyin look to get themselves back into the game having weathered the initial storm from Odisha, but the game so far hasn't produced a shred of evidence that an opening goal is right around the corner. 37' A good spell of possession for the home team and they get their reward for it by winning a free-kick on the left flank. Can they convert it though? 34' Both managers mean business on the touchlines and look animated. Chennaiyin have defended well and Odisha have done the opposite, both teams are neutralizing each other well. 31' Chennaiyin's counter-attacking approach is reaping rewards on the defensive front, but the pressing from the Odisha players is restricting the Marina Machans movement upfield with a few half-chances created so far but nothing substantial. Saighani has struggled to cope with that pressing so far allowing Odisha to push well upfield. 28' Odisha are making continuous progress with the majority of the play on the wings, this time a cross from Diagne floats in menacingly and Kaith is forced to parry it over the bar. Safety first for the Chenaiyin keeper. 23' Odisha continue to have the lion's share of possession and are showing good value for it with frequent visits to the Chennaiyin box. A cross from Xisco off a corner finds Aridane but he drags his header wide of the face of goal 21' Vinit Rai is the first player to be penalised for bringing down Masih Saighani 19' Close!!! Odisha come close on goal as Xisco's cross from the right flanks finds the head of Rodrigeuz in the crowd of players but the defender heads it wide. A chance though for the visitors 18' A skirmish between Goian and Jerry leads to a free-kick for the opposition in the Chennaiyin half 13' Odisha have had the majority of possession and are moving the ball well in midfield. Chennaiyin are having their occasional counter-attacking runs but nothing bearing fruit at the moment. 10' It's been a good start from Odisha as the home team looked pegged back in their own half with good pressing from the forwards and the midfield. 8' First chance of the game. Vishal Kaith the saviour as he makes a sharp save from close range of a shot from Xisco. Odisha looking good on the attack and are taking the game to the home side 7' Xisco has the first shot of the game but it is way over the bar 4' It's been a sedate start so far as both teams look to find their feet in this game. Odisha have made a few forays forward but haven't looked very threatening so far. 7:30 PM: The referee Umesh Bora checks out all the pre-game corrections as the two teams take their sides and positions. We are moments away from the action. Hoping this one to be a cracker on the lines of the last game here in Chennai. The away team will commence proceedings today. 7:23 PM: We are approaching fast on to kick-off as both teams come out of the tunnel for the pre-match formalities. This will be preceded by the National Anthem. Chennaiyin are in their usual home strip of Royal Blue whereas Odisha play in their away kit of white and blue. 7:16 PM: Before their current avatar, Odisha who played previously as Delhi Dynamos FC hold the bragging rights over tonight's opposition with the southerners having won just once against them in ten meetings. Another interesting stat is that Chennaiyin are yet to win against a side managed by a Spaniard, something that Gombau might count as good luck if his team wins today. 7:11 PM: We are a few minutes away from kick-off here at the Marina Arena as Odisha look to post their first win against Chennaiyin FC as the atmosphere builds up inside the stadium. 7:06 PM: Both teams are put through their paces as they aim to take all three points today. A win for the home team would take them over the visitors today and put them in a firm position to push for a playoff spot. A win for the visitors would keep them at a striking length of the teams above them leading all the way up top to leaders ATK. 6:58 PM: Odisha's in-form pairing of Aridane and Mawihmingthanga have been integral to the side's attacking fortunes and face a Chennaiyin side that has defended comparatively well at home. Their battle against the Chennaiyin defence could prove to be pivotal today and has all the components of an exciting contest. 6:52 PM: Last game's hero for the home side Andre Schembri misses out with an illness and Aimol gets a look into the squad in place of Ganesh who misses the second game in a row. Odisha have made a change from their game against ATK bringing on Vinit Rai for Guedes and 6:45 PM: The lineups are in for the two sides today and there are some surprise absentees in Chennaiyin lineup as the home team go in with an unchanged starting lineup from the game on Monday. Chennaiyin FC: Kaith (GK), Goian (C), Eli Sabia, Tondonba, Vanspaul, Saighani, Thapa, Thoi, Chhangte, Crivellaro, Valskis Substitutes: Karanjit (GK), Dragos, Jerry, Aimol, Rahim Ali, Laldinliana, Germanpreet  Odisha FC: Arshdeep (GK), Sarangi, Narayan Das, Delgado, Diagne, Tebar (C), Vinit Rai, Nandhakumar, Mawihmingthanga, Xisco, Aridane Substitutes: Bhuyan (GK), Gharami, Lahlimpuia, Bikramjit, Guedes, Manchong  6:42 PM: It's a windy day here in Chennai as the home team come out for their pre-game warmup. With the first win and goals out of the way, there seems to be a real spring in the step in the Chennaiyin camp. Odisha will soon follow suit. 6:40 PM: Chennaiyin FC couldn't have written a more thrilling script for their first win of the season and the lead up to it made the victory all the more memorable and it would serve to be a massive morale boost for John Gregory and the Marina Machans and they would look to take that confidence into their fourth home game of the season against Odisha FC. Welcome to ISL 2019-20 Chennaiyin FC Vs Odisha FC live commentary of Khel Now, where we will bring you all the live action from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Chennaiyin FC Vs Odisha FC Kick-Off: 7:30 PM IST To read the match preview, click here. To read the pre-match press conferences, click here and here. John Gregory says reaching the playoffs is not impossible for his side John Gregory still intends on getting a string of good results starting from Thursday’s match against Odisha FC and harbours expectations of a playoffs spot. “The leading pack aren’t very far away ahead. But, it is important to start winning games from now till the end of the year. We have to put a good run of results to be in contention for the playoffs. I still believe we can make it,” he said. Josep Gombau did not shy away from revealing his admiration for Chennaiyin FC “I think tomorrow will be a very interesting game against a very good side because I like Chennaiyin and what they did in their last game. Every game in the ISL is equal and hopefully, with the work we have been doing so far, I think we can get a good result,” Josep Gombau quipped.