ISL 2015: Chennaiyin FC 4-0 Delhi Dynamos - Five talking points
Chennaiyin dominated Delhi at the Marina Arena (Image courtesy: ISL)In one of the most one-sided affairs of the tournament, Chennaiyin FC humiliated Delhi Dynamos with a massive 4-0 scoreline at the Marina Arena. The side from the South had never beaten the Dynamos in the Indian Super League, and with this being a must-win game for Marco Materazzi’s men, they finally delivered in front of more than 20,000 spectators.Indian forward Jeje Lalpekhlua scored a brace and was well assisted by tournament’s top scorer Stiven Mendoza who bagged one as well. Bruno Pelissari who scored a stunning goal in this fixture last season added to his goal tally in the ISL. Dynamos who came into this game with a chance to reach the summit of the league were outplayed for the entire course of the game as a despondent Roberto Carlos could only watch from the stands helplessly.The win comes at an important stage for the home side who now move into the fourth spot, level on points with Delhi Dynamos but the side from the capital have a game in hand. The group winners of last season move two points clear of closest rivals NorthEast United, with the Highlanders set to host Dynamos in their next home game.Here we look at the five talking points from the game.
#1 Stiven Mendoza cements his authority as the best player in the ISL
While the headlines have been dominated by the famed stars who have graced the tournament this time, it has been the form of Chennaiyin FC’s star striker that has caught everyone’s eyes in the tournament.
Stiven Mendoza was on-song once again as he ran riot against one of the best defense in the ISL, scoring one and setting up two fine goals for Jeje. There were questions raised on Materazzi following the selection of Fikru ahead of Mendoza against Atletico de Kolkata, and the Colombian once again reminded his Italian manager why he is so highly regarded.
Mendoza came off at the hour mark to a standing ovation by the 20,000 odd supporters at the Marina Arena who celebrated the striker’s 10th goal in the tournament.
Mendoza’s sparkling performance further cements his performance as the tournament’s most consistent performer and is without a doubt the favourite to land home the ‘Best player award’ for this season.
The on-loan Corinthians forward tormented full-back Souvik Chakraborty as he ran past him on two occasions to put the ball on the plate for Jeje to tap home. His fine combination play saw Pelissari add to the scoreline as well. It was indeed one of the most all-round performances by a player this season.