Chennaiyin FC 1-1 East Bengal HIGHLIGHTS, ISL 2023-24: Match ends in draw as Ninthoi cancels Ayush’s own goal

And that’s the end of an electrifying second half. East Bengal was just four minutes away from an away win but Ninthoi had other ideas. But CFC will have to deal with the repercussions of Edwards’ red card in the next game as it already has a long list of injured players

Cleiton’s corner kick is headed away by Crivellaro. Looks like this will be Chennaiyin’s first draw this season

THAT’S A SECOND YELLOW FOR EDWARDS! That comes after a reckless challenge on Siverio. Chennaiyin will finish with 10 men

Wonderful ball from Crivellaro from the left flank across the face of goal. Irfan stretches full length in a desperate attempt to tap it in but the ball goes inches away from him!

Free kick for Chennaiyin and Crivellaro takes it. Yet another poor cross from the number 50 as this one goes outside as well

Seven added minutes

Pardo is booked for a rash tackle on Irfan

GOOOOAAALLL!! Ninthoi makes it 1-1 with just four minutes on the clock! Pardo gave away posession at the edge of the box, Crivellaro capitalised on the situation and served one towards Ninthoi in the right, who puts it past the keeper to perfection! The crowd erupts!

Into the final ten minutes of the match and it looks like East Bengal will go out with an away win as it continues to maintain a superior ball possession

Attack from EB as Cleiton controls posession just outside the box. He sends it to his left towards Nanda but the ball is kicked out for a corner. Cleiton takes the corner and that’s punched away by Debjit

CHANCE! Ninthoi’s cross takes a deflection but went inside the box. Gill gets decieved, Irfan was in position to tap it in but he somehow manages to squander it!

Drinks break

Mahesh sends a superb through ball towards Nanda on the left, the latter goes inside the box and tries to finish but Debjit deflects it outside. Corner for EB

OUT: Crespo IN: A. Chhetri

Ninthoi initiates a counter and runs on the left flank. On the final third, as he looked to cross it, cthere was a deflection off an EB player and it goes out for a corner. Crivellaro takes the kick but overcooks it as it goes out for a goal kick!

Ninthoi gets the ball on the right flank just outside the box. He looks at Vincy inside the box and lobs one towards him but Gill runs forward and grabs it

OUT: Ajith IN: Sachu

Vincy is down and looks in pain after clashing with Khabra. The Chennaiyin player is clinching is neck, suggesting an elbow throw from Khabra but the referee thinks otherwise. The replay shows Khabra indeed use his elbow to bring Vincy down but the officials were distracted and did not notice the foul!

Chennaiyin continues to pressure East Bengal. Vincy gets the ball on the left, gets inside the box and tries to finish but Lalchungnunga clips it away for a corner. Nothing comes off the corner

Ninthoi gets into action right away. He gets the ball near the half way line and takes it all the way near the box before sending a pass towards Yumnan. The latter tries to break free and go inside the box but gets dispossessed

OUT: Ayush, Farukh IN: Jiteshwor, Ninthoi

Vincy is booked for arguing with a referee after the latter gave a free kick in favour of EB

Vishnu comes off the field and looks like he will be replaced due to an injury. He looked uncomfortable while walking out.

OUT: Vishnu IN: Nanda Kumar

Mahesh tries to initiate an attack in the middle as he sprints towards the opposition’s half but Battocchio gets there right on time to deflect it

Mukherjee injures himself, trying to win the ball and lands in an awkward position. He lies down clenching his hamstring. But he’s quickly back on his feet

Free kick for EB as Mukherjee puts a reckless challenge on Khabra on the left flank. But the CFC man is let off the hooks with a warning. Cleiton takes the kick. Serves a high ball inside the box but Edwards heads it outside

Corner for EB. Cleiton serves it inside the box but it is headed away by the CFC defense

Free kick for Chennaiyin early in the second half. Crivellari takes it and tries to go for glory but only manages to find the wall

And the ref blows the whistle as the first half comes to an end. Chennaiyin goes into the half time break trailing by one goal to nil due to an own goal from Ayush. An exciting second 45 minutes await

Free-kick for Chennaiyin and it’s a set piece situation. Crivellaro takes it. He swings one inside the box toawrds Mukherjee but Lalchungnunga heads it clear

What a run from Mukherjee on the left flank. He outruns a couple of defenders to reach the final third. The then sends a curler inside the box. It is cleared after a bit of struggle

Six minutes added!

Quick counter from Chennaiyin. Ajith finds Crivellaro in the middle and the latter lobs it to Jordan outside the box. Jordan takes a shot at goal from a long way out but it takes a deflection and becomes easy for Gill to save it

Jordan, after staying on the sidelines for a minute, runs in to join his side

The attack doesn’t stop yet. Crivellaro lashes out a brilliant cross inside the box. Jordan recieves it and slots it in between Gill’s legs but the ball stays stagnant outside the goal line. Gill grabs it eventually but looks like Jordan has banged his head on the post when he tried to finish. The medical team rushes in to attend the forward, after a short check, Jordan is back up and walks towards the sidelines

Wonderful linkup play by Crivellaro and Vincy on the right. The latter crosses one inside the box but before anyone could get to it, Lalchungnunga clears it away

Vishnu gets a long ball yet again. He sprints quickly on the left lane but Ajith does well to get in front of him to clear it away for a corner

Corner for Chennaiyin as a cross gets deflected outside. Crivellaro will take the cross. Heopts to go short for Farukh near him. The latter takes a couple of steps to his left and sends one inside the box towards Edwards but he fails to make contact with the ball. Cleared away

Play resumes. Jordan tries to capitalise on a mistake on the right but the CFC man fails to keep the ball inside the away line. Throw for EB

Free kick for Chennaiyin in a dangerous position as Lalchungnunga gets his arm in the way of a pass. Bettocchio tires to go for glory but the shot is too weak as Gill pouches it easily

Drinks break

Chennaiyin in disarray as Ayush finds his own net! He tried to clear Vishnu’s cross but things go the other way! EB IN FRONT!

Ajith to Crivellaro and the latter plays it forward to Jordan on the right. He sends one inside the box towards Ayush and tries to get it back but the flag is up as the forward is caught off side

EB concedes poession as Mahesh and Cleiton run into each other. Ayush is quick on his feet and takes the ball away but before he could do anything productive, he is dispossessed

Free-kick for EB as Battocchio brings Cleiton down just outside the edge of the box. Cleiton takes it directly but Debjit dives full length to make the save

A dull patch of play as the teams shuffle for ball control. EB manages to progress with Mahesh dictating terms on the right. He sends one inside the box towards Abu Saeed but two defenders converge to clear the ball away

The play resumes as the lights are back on. Chennaiyin continues to maintain posession

The lights have gone out! Play halted. The fans are trying their best to light up the stadium with their torches on their phones!

Chennai still on the attack. Mukherjee serves one this time from the left directed towards Farukh inside the box. The latter tries to finish from an awkward angle but it’s too easy for Gill as he saves it with ease

CHANCE! Murray squanders one close range! Vincy served it inside the box to perfection, Jordan’s first touch was superb. With just Gill between him and the goal, Jordan hits it wide

Quick attack from CFC on the left lane as Vincy gets a long ball. He takes it to the final third and sends one inside the box towards Jordan, who is inches away from the ball but unable to get a grip. Ajith was looking to pounce but the defense clears it eventually

Chennaiyin on the defensive as Ajith, Debjit and Edwards play with the ball between them on their half

10 minutes into the game and EB has maintained a superior posession. 61-39 in favour of Carles Cuadrat’s men

Bikash and Ajith collide inside the CFC box and the referee blows his whistle. Free kick for Chennaiyin

Ajith, from the right, serves one inside the box, Gill punches it out. Ayush gets it on the rebound and tries a stunner from a long way out but the ball goes brushing past the crossbar. Good attempt.

Corner for EB. A curler comes into the crowded box, Abu Saeed heads it but fails to keep it on target as a chance goes begging

Edwards and Debjit combine to keep Crespo off target. Edwards made up for his defensive mixup where he lost the ball just outside the box

Superb man-marking from Vincy as he stops Khabra on his tracks at the edge of the box. The possession has been a mixed bag so far with both the teams losing control constantly

Commotion on the right flank as Ajith fights for posession with three EB players. Chakrabarti steals the ball eventually and puts it forward to Crespo on the left, he progresses further and whips one in towards Silva but Edwards uses his height to his advantage and heads it clear

And the match is underway! Chennaiyin will start from left to right. East Bengal will get the ball rolling, donning the traditional red and gold while the home side is in all blue

Players of both the sides have entered the pitch and it is now time for the national anthem. Three changes for CFC as Ajith, Jordan and Vincy get their first start of the season

As we near the kick-off, here’s how this season’s points table looks:

Our correspondents sat with Chennaiyin FC manager Owen Coyle for a podcast where he spoke about the the balance between national duty and club football, his ambitions with the club and much more. Click the link below to know more:

The Owen Coyle interview: Putting the Chennaiyin FC jigsaw together in hunt for ISL glory

The Full Time Show · Episode

CFC (4-2-3-1): Majumdar, Ajith, Yumnan, Edwards, Mukherjee, Battochhio, Ayush, Vincy, Crivellaro, Farukh, Murray

EB (4-1-4-1): Gill, Dessai, Maher, Lalchungnunga, Chakrabarti, Pardo, Singh, Crespo, Khabra, Vishnu, Silva

Indian top-flight football returns after the international break as Chennaiyin FC (CFC) hosts East Bengal FC (EB) in an Indian Super League (2023-24) match at the Nehru Stadium on Saturday.

Both Chennaiyin and East Bengal come into the match on the back of defeats in their last matches, against FC Goa and Kerala Blasters, respectively.

Before the loss against Goa, the Marina Machans seemed to have found their tempo with back-to-back wins against Hyderabad FC and Punjab FC. East Bengal, however, has looked deficient in all departments, with Carles Cuadrat’s men managing to notch just one win in five outings in the league.

When will the Cheennaiyin FC vs East Bengal ISL match start?

The Chennaiyin FC vs East Bengal ISL 2023-24 match will kick-off at 5:30 PM IST, Saturday, November 25 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.

Where to watch the Chennaiyin FC vs East Bengal ISL match?

The Chennaiyin FC vs East Bengal ISL 2023-24 match will be live telecasted on the Sports18 1 Channel (TV). The game can also be live streamed on the JioCinema app and website (online).

The game will be livestreamed on OneFootball for those watching from outside India.