Chennaiyin FC 2 - 6 Mumbai City FC: 3 things we learned | ISL 2022-23
Chennaiyin FC lost 2-6 to Mumbai City FC in their fifth game of the ISL 2022-23 season in Chennai on Saturday (November 12). It was the Islanders' sixth game of the season.
Chennaiyin FC came into the game positioned sixth in the points table, having defeated East Bengal FC in their previous game.
Mumbai City FC came into the game in the fourth position in the points table. The Islanders drew ATK Mohun Bagan 2-2 in their previous game.
A win would take Mumbai City FC to second place in the points table, while Chennaiyin FC had the chance to jump to third place in the points table.
The match started with both teams showing positive intent and attacking mentality. After the early jitters, it was Chennaiyin FC who took the lead in the 19th minute after Peter Sliskovic scored from a Rahim Ali pass. Abdenasser El Khayati made full use of a defensive lapse from Mumbai City FC to score the second goal for Chennaiyin FC in the 32nd minute.
Jorge Pereyra Diaz scored in the 33rd minute to get one back for the Islanders. Greg Stewart converted a penalty in the 45th to restore parity between the sides before the half-time break.
The scoreboard at halftime read 2-2.
Mumbai City FC made two changes at half-time, with Vinit Rai replacing Apuia and Vignesh coming in place of Mandar Rao Desai. The changes worked wonders for Des Buckingham's side as they took the lead in the 49th minute courtesy of a Vinit Rai strike. Vignesh scored in the 60th minute to double the lead for Mumbai City FC. Another substitute, Albert Noguera, scored in the 65th minute to make it five for the Islanders.
Chennaiyin FC tried hard to reduce the margin but failed to utilize the few chances they created.
Bipin Singh scored the sixth goal for Mumbai City FC in the 90th minute.
goals in Chennai! 
A swashbuckling performance from @MumbaiCityFC saw them rain 6️⃣ goals in Chennai! 🔵💙
#CFCMCFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball #ChennaiyinFC #MumbaiCityFC https://t.co/HvRzFbA9c0
The scoreboard at full-time read 6-2 in favor of Mumbai City FC. With today's win, Mumbai City FC moved into second place in the points table.
On that note, let's take a look at three things we learned from today's game
#3 Chennaiyin FC lost the plot after 30 minutes
Chennaiyin FC had a great start to the game today. They scored their first goal in the 19th minute and doubled their lead in the 32nd minute. Until the 30th-minute mark, it looked like Chennaiyin were running away with the game. They had a handsome two-goal lead and should have won the game handsomely.
They conceded their first goal in the 33rd minute and it was due to a lack of defensive cohesion and maintaining their shape properly. After conceding the first goal, the floodgates opened as Chennaiyin FC let in five more goals to lose the game 6-2.
While Chennaiyin FC looked dangerous on the counter and, going forward, they were poor, to say the least in defense. Mumbai City FC opened them up with nearly every move they made in the second half.
A classic case of sloppy defending from Chennaiyin FC helped the Islanders register a big victory today.
The whole lost its cohesion and shape after the first 30 minutes and especially in the second half. The midfielders failed to cover their defenders properly, and that created tons of space for the Islanders' forwards to exploit. Debjit Mazumdar also had a poor game today for Chennaiyin FC under the bar.
Thomas Brdaric needs to work on his side's defensive stability if they want to avoid such embarrassing defeats in the future.
#2 Mumbai City FC are good in attack but need to work on their defense
Mumbai City FC have scored 16 goals this season, the highest in the league so far by any side. The Islanders, though, have conceded 8 goals, which is also high given their current standing in the points table.
On Saturay, the City Football Group-owned side looked menacing while moving forward and nearly scored or looked to score with every move they made, especially in the second half.
Their defense, though, looked shaky today and they made more than a few mistakes which helped Chennaiyin FC score twice in the game today. Apart from the two goals, they conceded the Islanders had a few more nervy moments due to lapses in defense.
Buckingham will want his side to have better defensive cohesion if they are to stop leaking goals at the back. The philosophy of always outscoring your opponents irrespective of how much you concede could backfire in the later stages of the season.
#1 Des Buckingham's substitutes work to perfection
It is not often in football that we get to see three substitutes getting their name on the scoresheet. Today was such a day. Buckingham made two changes at half-time when he introduced Vinit Rai in place of Apuia and Vignesh in place of Mandar. The changes had an immediate impact as Vinit scored in the 49th minute to give the Islanders the lead for the first time in the match.
A special celebration after scoring a special goal! 🤩
#HeroISL #LetsFootball #MumbaiCityFC #VigneshDakshinamurthy | @MumbaiCityFC https://t.co/tr8Fd7me31
Vignesh scored in the 60th minute courtesy of a shot from outside the box to double Mumbai City FC's lead. Another substitute, Albert Noguera, who replaced Jorge Pereyra Diaz in the 63rd minute, scored two minutes later to secure the victory for Des Buckingham's side.
Today Buckingham's changes worked to perfection and were crucial in securing a big victory for the Islanders.