ISL 2 Final: At home, Goa face Chennai in search of ISL glory

Margao: The stage is set and after 60 matches spanning over 77 days, the Indian Super League (ISL) will get to see new champions in its second season when FC Goa lock horns with Chennaiyin FC in the summit clash, here on Sunday.

FC Goa might have an edge playing at home in front of the 19,000 capacity Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stadium with passionate, vociferous fans backing them creating an intimidating atmosphere. However, Head Coach of FC Goa Zico negated views that playing on home turf pitted the Gaurs ahead of the opposition.

“It’s always good to play at home but I don’t see it as an advantage. If you look at the numbers in the ISL, you will see that many teams won their matches playing away. Home advantage doesn’t make much difference in the ISL,” Zico said during the pre-match conference, here on Saturday.

Goa has been a consistent outfit right from the start, while Chennaiyin faced a few hiccups on the way, but thanks to a strong team ethic, Head Coach Marco Materazzi has managed to cajole his team into a steady matured one.

After pulling off a great win against last year’s champions Atletico de Kolkata at their adopted ground in Pune, Chennaiyin arrived in Goa having won five out of their last six games. Goa, on the other hand have only lost two in the last 10 and are also the ISL's top scorers having 32 goals with Chennaiyin (29) in second place.

Goa are known to have an attacking style of play and coach Zico looks to carry forward the same style going into the grand finale. “There’s no reason for us to change our game. We played this way and came so far,” he said.

Materazzi, on the other hand, whose defence includes French veteran Bernard Mendy, Mailson Alves, Dhanachandra Singh and Mehrajuddin Wadoo, refused to accept his team’s defensive style of play. “I don’t think we have a defensive style of play. Goa’s attacking style arises from Brazilian culture, where they attack through 90 minutes. We scored many goals as well,” he said.

Both teams have faced each other on four occasions with FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC winning two apiece. While Goa will be boosted with Rafael Coelho being passed fit after he was carried off in the second leg of the semis, besides a host of strikers, they have to be on-guard for a certain Stiven Mendoza.

Columbian striker Mendoza, who is in the reckoning for the Golden Boot award this season with 12 goals, will pose for a serious threat to the Goan wall held strongly by Portuguese veteran Lucio. “It’s always very good to stop a player like Mendoza and if we can neutralise him, it would be a big positive for us,” Zico pointed out.

Chennaiyin FC skipper Elano sees a close encounter during the finals also stating that his opposition fully deserves a place on Sunday. “Both the teams are on an equal footing and in the finals because of their merit. As far as the finals is concerned, there are great players in both the teams and they’ll try their best to achieve glory,” asserted Elano, adding that this performance will be dedicated to the victims of the horrendous Chennai floods that wrecked havoc in the southern state.

While Goa, given their optimistic attitude and Brazilian flair will look to clinch their maiden ISL crown, Chennai, who have proved to be stubborn in the past, can spoil the party for the Goans. But then again, as the cliché goes: May the best team win!

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