Teams togetherness pleases Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi
Chennaiyin FC dished out yet another perfect away performance as they blanked Mumbai City FC 2-0 at Mumbai’s Dr. D.Y.Patil Stadium. A second half brace from Stiven Mendoza was the difference as Marco Materazzi’s men climbed to up to third place in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) table.
Coach Marco Materazzi was delighted with the effort from his troops as they silenced the D.Y.Patil crowd with a clinical performance. Elano and Mendoza ran the show once again for Chennaiyin FC, but Coach Marco Materazzi was quick to highlight the cohesiveness in his team, which according to him took them over the line.
“Elano and Mendoza were fantastic once again, but we must not ignore the fact that it was a team performance. Our defense played extremely well and everyone helped each other out. That gave us a little more and that was the reason for our victory,” said the Chennaiyin FC manager.
The former Inter Milan defender though rightfully pointed out the selfless piece of play which Elano portrayed as he set up Mendoza for the first goal and the hailed the duo as ‘Champions.’
“Elano and Mendoza are real champions. Elano proved it when he passed to Mendoza at that crucial moment and put the team above personal glory. That’s a mark of a true champion and in Mendoza and Elano we have two champions who play for their team,” exclaimed Marco Materazzi.
Chennaiyin FC overturn dismal start to the season
Chennaiyin FC have now scored eight goals in four games this season and have a goal difference of +4. Materazzi has welcomed his side’s change in mentality from last year where he felt his side used to look to score just the one goal more than their opponents. The Italian felt it was down to confidence and understanding of each other’s game.
“Last season, we used to try and score just the one goal more than our opponents, but this season we can say that the mentality has changed and we are more confident going forward. It’s a good thing for us and it is a result of a better understanding between the team,” felt Materazzi.
Chennaiyin FC now take on NorthEast United in another game on the road as Marco Materazzi takes his team to Guwahati for a game against the Highlanders on 20th October. Materazzi will hardly get time to prepare his side for the game in Guwahati.
But his team won’t be feeling much fatigue on their travels considering the way they have been playing. A game against struggling NorthEast United might be a perfect game for Marco Materazzi’s men to finish of their series of away games with yet another win before they head back to a more hospitable territory in their home ground in Chennai.