ISL 2015: Mendoza brace sinks Mumabi City FC to second defeat in three matches

Nicolas Anelka changed his tactics from 4-4-2 to a more compact 4-2-1-3, along with six changes to the starting line-up. Frederic Piquionne started in a central role with Sony Norde and Sunil Chhetri, who made his ISL debut, playing out-wide. Selim Benachour was the more advanced of the three central midfielders and the Tunisian dictated play from behind the attacking trio.

Marco Materazzi, on the other hand, made only one change to the starting line-up he used in the 4-0 win over FC Goa in the last game- Bernard Mendy was replaced by Alessandro Potenza at the back.

The home side, looking for their first win of the campaign, made a bright start to the game. The first chance arrived in the fourth minute, with Benachour picking out Frantz Bertin in the box with a low cross, but the Haitian international's instinctive shot flew over the bar.

At the other end of the pitch, Jayesh Rane found Stiven Mendoza with a forward pass and the Colombian striker, who scored a hat-trick in his last match, hit the target with a thunderous drive. But Mumbai goalie, Subrata Paul, returning from international duty, made an athletic save to his left. The resultant corner saw more action as Harmanjot Khabra at the far post made a stunning volley only to be deflected wide of goal by his own teammate, Jayesh Rane.

Mumbai held most of the possession, but it was Chennaiyin who looked the likelier to score. In the 31st minute, the men in blue did create a good opening when Lalchhuan Mawia, in a rare adventurous venture into the attacking third, picked out Piquionne with a low cross. But the Frenchman's delicate flick rolled wide off the goal.

Sony Norde looked like Mumbai's best bet for a goal and the forward, on loan from Mohun Bagan, was denied twice in the closing stages of the first half – first by a wonderful tackle by Mehrajuddin Wadoo and then by a save from Edel, as the teams went into half-time tied at 0-0.

Sony Norde came out all guns blazing at the start of the second half as he came close to scoring in the 49th minute of the game. The 26-year-old drifted across the penalty box, evading challenges on his way, but his left footed shot missed the mark. Seven minutes later, he went down in the penalty box, under pressure from Mailson Alves, but the referee waved away his appeal for a penalty.

In the end, it was Chennaiyin at the other end who took the lead. A terrible pass from Pratesh Shirodkar fell short of Pavel Cmovs and was intercepted by Elano. The Brazilian ran through at goal with only the keeper to beat, but selflessly passed it to Mendoza, who tucked it into an empty net.

Just six minutes later, Mendoza completed his brace and doubled Chennaiyin's lead. Jayesh Rane hit the woodwork with a lovely strike from outside, but the ball fell kindly for Mendoza, who found the back of the net with a diving header.

Mumbai City FC created some good openings towards the end of the game, but didn't really test Edel at the Chennaiyin goal. The match ended 2-0 in favour of Chennaiyin FC and Nicolas Anelka's search for a maiden win goes on.

Marco Materazzi would have been delighted with his side's performance, especially the effectiveness of his front-three. This win takes them within reach of the league leadersas they head into their next game against a struggling NorthEast.

Nicolas Anelka has a lot to think about after this result. Sony Norde's performance was perhaps the only positive from the game, and the midfield looked weak and lightweight defensively. Chhetri looked tired as well and Anelka will hope the Indian striker returns to his best in their next game against Delhi Dynamos, especially as the arrival of their marquee player on field seems nowhere in sight.