Chennaiyin FC became the first team to qualify for the knockouts of the 132nd Durand Cup when it beat Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC 3-0 in a Group E fixture at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Monday.
Winger Farukh Choudhary opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after he was set up by a precise pass from fellow new -signing Connor Shields. Rahim Ali doubled the lead inside the first half from the spot. Rafael Crivellaro applied the finishing touches with a long-range effort late in the game.
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With the win Chennaiyin, moved to six points from two matches and which sealed it the top spot and a quarterfinal berth.
Marina Machans, who fielded an unchanged side, were in control for most of the game, with Tribhuvan unable to deal with its opponents’ high press.
The Nepal outfit did a good job by not conceding in the second half but its resilience was broken when the Brazilian Crivellaro killed the contest.
Chennaiyin will aim to finish its group stage campaign unbeaten as it gears up to take on Delhi FC in its final Group E fixture on August 18.
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