CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC had the upper hand in the first half-hour of the match against FC Goa earlier on Sunday before a red card to Sachu Siby turned the tide in favour of Goa. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the team’s departure, Head Coach Owen Coyle said that the results in the past count for nothing.
“All the pressure’s on Goa tomorrow; they are the team expected to win. They were close to winning the shield but never did. Whatever happened before doesn’t count anymore. All the games are different from each other.”
Chennaiyin will be heading into the game with fresh and rested players, some of whom didn’t start the last league game. “A bunch of our players will be coming to this game fresh both physically and mentally, but the great thing about our players is that our season was finished if we lost to Mohun Bagan. But the amount of resolve shown by the players is unbelievable.”
Chennaiyin has reached its current position this season by merit. No team in the history of the Indian Super League (ISL) has come from behind to record three consecutive comeback wins.
With a handful of fans travelling from far and near to support the team when they line up against FC Goa in the knockouts, it’d be all the more merrier if the team comes back with a ticket to the semi-final.