Sunday evening will see two giants battle it out on Fatorda ground for top honours in the Indian Super League. It will see a clash between footballing icons of their times “ Zico and Marco Materazzi. During his heyday the Brazilian was known for his skill in attack and finesse in scoring goals, while the Italian was the best in defence. They bring to the table contrasting styles, but after having narrowly missed an opportunity to be in the finals last year, Zico has strengthened the defence of F C Goa and will look to Reinaldo Oliveria, Dudu and Jofre to score.
Chennaiyin FC has depth in defence while Elano Blumer, Jeje Lalpekhula and the effervescent John Mendoza, who is the highest scorer in the tournament, are the most dangerous of strikers. The battle is evenly poised with F C Goa enjoying home advantage and the support of crowd that will not settle for anything less than a win. Both teams come to the finals with strong track records in the league play offs. FC Goa lost only two of the last 10 matches while Chenniyin FC won five of the last six matches.
The first encounter between the two ended with a 4-0 win for Chennaiyin while the second one went in Goa’s favour. However, statistics tell only half the story and anything can happen on the ground. That’s why football is such a beautiful game.
