ISL 2: Mendoza rips through Goa

MARGAO: It had to happen sooner or later.
FC Goa's defensive frailties were exposed by a rampaging Chennaiyin FC as Goa's back four found it difficult to keep pace with the speed and precision of someone like Steven Mendoza who scored a hat-trick in his team's 4-0 victory at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Sunday .
Goa had weathered storms in their previous games against Delhi Dynamos (1-0) and Atletico de Kolkata (1-1).But Chennaiyin FC, despite their losses in the first two games, are cut from a different cloth.Speedy players like Mendoza, Thoi Singh and even Jayesh Rane give defenders a harrowing time; creative players like Elano can create an opening out of nothing and a technical player like Raphael Augusto can control a match's progression.
Sunday night belonged entirely to Mendoza. One of the few players who moved to a much higher league ­ in Brazil ­ after last year's Indian Super League (ISL), Mendoza hit the ground running, sensing his chance against Goa's centreback pairing of Lucio and Gregory Arnolin, both similar in their approach and lacking in pace.
In the first minute itself, FC Goa marquee and captain Lucio was forced into doggedly heading away the danger with Mendoza lurking behind and three minutes into the game Elano left the FC Goa defence rooted to the ground with a defence-splitting ball which Rane should have done better than shoot straight into the waiting hands of goalkeeper Elinton Andrade.