ISL Opening Match Day: Chennaiyin FC vs. Atlético de Kolkata
ArsenalFan700
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I know there was indecision about doing individual match threads and stuff due to their lack of popularity last season and also the lack of proper rounds in ISL, but god damn it, this is the first game of the season and I am not going to wait till the I-League in January to do match/round preview threads! (Hopefully the I-League 2nd Division helps me in November 
)
Anyway, welcome back to the India's newest entertainment industry known as the Indian Super League. Season One managed to provide us Indian football faithful with plenty of great stories like Romeo Fernandes, the Kerala Blasters fans, superstar names of yesteryear, fans as far as the eye can see, and of course, Anwar Ali. It was amazing! The first match of the season between Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City gave us a taste of what we would eventually witness throughout the quick, three month season. Fikru Teffera and his flips, goalazos every week, the stretch of 0-0 games, and Elano banging in free-kick after free-kick. It all lead to the final in Mumbai where Mohammed Rafique scored in the very, very last moment of the match to win Kolkata the trophy and leave Kerala crying into their piss coloured kits.
Atletico de Kolkata will once again open the ISL season this year, but this time as the guests, as Chennaiyin and the Marina Arena will try and avenge a season that ended so abruptly. It was Chennaiyin who were selected as the favorites to win the ISL trophy going into the finals. They ended the regular season in first place but lost out in two-matches to the Kerala Blasters and now they are here to finish what they started.
Chennaiyin will have the old firepower from last season back. Stiven Mendoza will return to the side after bursting to the scene last ISL campaign. He recently went to Brazil where he played for Corinthians in the Brazilian Serie A! They also retained star forward Indian men, Jayesh Rane, Balwant Singh, and Jeje Lalpekhlua. They also added in former Kolkata frontman, Fikru to their attacking arsenal. Elano is back with Bruno Pelissari to lead the Chennai midfield while the defense has gotten better. Last season Chennaiyin had to deal with Mikael Silvestre and Alessandro Nesta at the back... not many would complain about that, 5-10 years ago! They were crap! Now Bernard Mendy is back and they have re-enforced their backline with Alessandro Potenza and Eder Montero. Guys who are not big names but could be very effective! They also got rid of Gouramangi Singh, which will improve any defense.
Atletico de Kolkata will enter this match as the champions for the first time but the team is quite different. Helder Postiga replaces Luis Garcia as the marquee... replacing a man who last played in Mexico before retiring with a man who last played in Spain's top flight? Hell ya they've improved! The team has also retained Borja Fernandez while signing in foreign guys like Jamie Galvin, Valmiro Rocha, Sameegh Doutie, Jose Luis, and former Kerala Blaster and "Hero of the League", Iain Hume. The team also has some Indian quality in the form of Arata Izumi? No. Nadong Bhutia? No. Jewel Raja? No, not since 2012 at least. Maybe Baljit Sahni? Hell no. Sushil Kumar Singh? Come on now! Syed Rahim Nabi? No. Arnab Mondal and Rino Anto? Yes! They have two good Indian players! Unless you add in Amrinder Singh, so 3!
Anyway, leaving that out of the way, this should be a good game contested by two teams hoping to start the season on a high and start the carnival known for "Let's Football". It should be a fun 3 months.
)Anyway, welcome back to the India's newest entertainment industry known as the Indian Super League. Season One managed to provide us Indian football faithful with plenty of great stories like Romeo Fernandes, the Kerala Blasters fans, superstar names of yesteryear, fans as far as the eye can see, and of course, Anwar Ali. It was amazing! The first match of the season between Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City gave us a taste of what we would eventually witness throughout the quick, three month season. Fikru Teffera and his flips, goalazos every week, the stretch of 0-0 games, and Elano banging in free-kick after free-kick. It all lead to the final in Mumbai where Mohammed Rafique scored in the very, very last moment of the match to win Kolkata the trophy and leave Kerala crying into their piss coloured kits.
Atletico de Kolkata will once again open the ISL season this year, but this time as the guests, as Chennaiyin and the Marina Arena will try and avenge a season that ended so abruptly. It was Chennaiyin who were selected as the favorites to win the ISL trophy going into the finals. They ended the regular season in first place but lost out in two-matches to the Kerala Blasters and now they are here to finish what they started.
Chennaiyin will have the old firepower from last season back. Stiven Mendoza will return to the side after bursting to the scene last ISL campaign. He recently went to Brazil where he played for Corinthians in the Brazilian Serie A! They also retained star forward Indian men, Jayesh Rane, Balwant Singh, and Jeje Lalpekhlua. They also added in former Kolkata frontman, Fikru to their attacking arsenal. Elano is back with Bruno Pelissari to lead the Chennai midfield while the defense has gotten better. Last season Chennaiyin had to deal with Mikael Silvestre and Alessandro Nesta at the back... not many would complain about that, 5-10 years ago! They were crap! Now Bernard Mendy is back and they have re-enforced their backline with Alessandro Potenza and Eder Montero. Guys who are not big names but could be very effective! They also got rid of Gouramangi Singh, which will improve any defense.
Atletico de Kolkata will enter this match as the champions for the first time but the team is quite different. Helder Postiga replaces Luis Garcia as the marquee... replacing a man who last played in Mexico before retiring with a man who last played in Spain's top flight? Hell ya they've improved! The team has also retained Borja Fernandez while signing in foreign guys like Jamie Galvin, Valmiro Rocha, Sameegh Doutie, Jose Luis, and former Kerala Blaster and "Hero of the League", Iain Hume. The team also has some Indian quality in the form of Arata Izumi? No. Nadong Bhutia? No. Jewel Raja? No, not since 2012 at least. Maybe Baljit Sahni? Hell no. Sushil Kumar Singh? Come on now! Syed Rahim Nabi? No. Arnab Mondal and Rino Anto? Yes! They have two good Indian players! Unless you add in Amrinder Singh, so 3!
Anyway, leaving that out of the way, this should be a good game contested by two teams hoping to start the season on a high and start the carnival known for "Let's Football". It should be a fun 3 months.
Comments
taking my wife to this one. 30-35k plus attendence seems the entire city is gonna be there tonight. ones which are not going are gonna tune in to tamil channels for the first time ever.
looking forward to a tight but thrilling win to CFC 2-1 elano winner after mendoza equalizes.