I-League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Chennai City FC lost to Real Kashmir FC
Chennai City FC's unbeaten run in the I-League came to an end as the underdogs Real Kashmir FC pipped them with a late goal.
This win against Chennai City FC has drastically reduced the deficit in terms of points difference. With the Snow Leopards' win against the Chennai side, the race for the first position in the points table has been put wide open.
Chennai City FC brought in Pravitto Raju for the injured Charles Anandraj while Real Kashmir FC brought in Farhan Ganie, Muhammed Hammad and Danish Farooq for Mason Robertson, Khalid Qayoom and Nagen Tamang.
In spite of dominating the possession by 78%, Chennai City FC couldn't make it count vastly due to the presence of Dharmaraj Ravanan and Loveday Enyinnaya.
In the 78th minute, a foul committed by Gaurav Bora led to a penalty which Kofi grabbed with both hands and got the much-needed breakthrough for Real Kashmir FC.
CCFC's coach also made a couple of changes in the dying minutes of the game to bolster Chennai's attack approach.
However, it was not to be and Chennai City FC suffered their first defeat of the season. Despite the unexpected result, the most important takeaway for Chennai City FC was the emergence of right winger N. Viji. He displayed great skills and provided excellent crosses in the little time he got.
On that note, we take a look at three reasons why Chennai City FC lost to Real Kashmir FC.
#3 Presence of Ravanan and Loveday
Chennai City FC failed to garner many chances in their attack as the likes of Dharmaraj Ravanan, Loveday Enyinnaya, Hammad and Thapa ensured a clean sheet and marked their targets without any flaw.
They also ensured in not giving the faintest of chances to Chennai City FC's Spanish forwards Pedro Manzi, Sandro Rodriguez, and Nestor Gordillo. Real Kashmir's defence was well supported by Bazie Armand and Farhan Ganie in the midfield. Also, Real Kashmir's physical game played a crucial role in their victory over Chennai City FC.