ISL 2015: Five players from Chennaiyin FC who made the difference against Delhi Dynamos

Chennaiying FC moved up two places to fourth in ISL standings with an emphatic win over Delhi Dynamos at the Marina Arena. With four goals scored and a clean sheet earned as well, here we see five shining stars who made the difference for the Chennai team. John Stiven Mendoza Four goals and two assists in two games after not getting a single minute against the table toppers Atletico de Kolkata shows a man in top form. He had a major hand to play in all the four goals that Chennaiyin scored, scoring the first, forcing the mistake for the second, and assisting the next two. The game was eventually killed off by 55 minutes, that the manager simply took him off to give some game time for the returning Elano Blumer. [caption id=“attachment_2516372” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Stiven Mendoza has been red-hot lately. Photo: ISL[/caption] Bruno Pelissari Firstpost wrote about how Bruno’s new role has brought the balance back to Chennaiyin FC. It was a testament to this fact that Elano was sacrificed or “rested” to preserve the momentum. He repaid the manager in full with a well taken goal that flummoxed four defenders all in the line of fire. His celebration - running all the way to jump and embrace his manager - showcased a mutual faith. A man who patiently waited for his chance has grabbed them with both hands. Raphael Augusto One of the most important players in the Chennaiyin setup, often overlooked for his silent but consistently stellar contributions. With Bruno pushed wide and Elano on the bench, it fell on Raphael to provide the creativity in direct attacks. His sumptuous one-two with Mendoza for the third goal and the perfect slide rule pass for the fourth showcased his excellent passing range. Not only that, he tops the tackles chart for ISL 2015 with a phenomenal 65 tackles in 12 games. The perfect box to box midfielder, Augusto has been an excellent find for Chennaiyin FC. Jeje Lalpekhlua A man who started the first game with a goal against Atletico de Kolkata, started only two more games featuring in another defeat and a draw. Looked like he was forgotten and being away on national duty didn’t help matters as well. But Jeje, who started again in the last match, proved his detractors with a neat brace to sink Delhi Dynamos. Both his finishes were calm and composed after placing himself at the right place at the right time. He has given an intriguing headache to manager Marco Materazzi who now will find it difficult to bring Elano back into a side that finally looks settled. Apoula Edel Bete Bernard Mendy was nominated “Hero of the match” by the commentary crew, but the real reason behind the clean sheet was the Chennaiyin FC shot-stopper. He stood tall to pull off some great saves in the first half. His nonchalant flick of his hands to divert Robin Singh’s scorcher over the bar stood out. Sadly, Harmanjot Khabra’s yet another suspension will mean Edel will most probably have to drop to the bench against Mumbai City FC to make way for Indian goalkeeper Karanjith Singh. A cruel fate for the man who gave the first ever clean sheet at home for Chennaiyin.