ISL 2024-24: Mohammedan Sporting gets first-ever win in the league, beats Chennaiyin FC 1-0

The result meant the Marina Machans failed to win its first ISL home game since October 2014 while Mohammedan secured its first-ever win in the league.

Lalremsanga Fanai of Mohammedan SC proved to be the difference, scoring te winner Chennaiyin FC in their Indian Super League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. | Photo Credit: Ragu R / The Hindu

‘Principles are principles, not observing them is careless’.

Perhaps, legendary manager Valeriy Lobanovsky’s famous quote would haunt Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle after his boys lost 0-1 to newly promoted Mohammedan Sporting, in their first home game, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.

The result meant the Marina Machans failed to win its first ISL home game since October 2014 while Mohammedan secured its first-ever win in the league.

Right from kick-off, Chennaiyin mounted pressure one after the other on the visiting side, averaging one cross every five minutes.

By the half-hour mark, it had seven shots to none from Mohammedan with three coming from Conor Shields’ cross, Chennaiyin’s set-piece merchant who had 12 crosses in the first game alone.

From the outside, the Marina Machans looked head and shoulders above the Black Panthers as thousands of local fans cheered every move by their players, especially by Farukh Choudhary, who had scored twice against Odisha.

However, Mohammedan’s head coach, Andre Chernyshov, another gaffer born in the Soviet Union, like Lobanovsky, stood waiting.

And after the cooling break, came the antidote – a line-splitting long ball from the right flank by Vanlalzuidika Chhakchhuak had the Marina Machans lay poorly exposed at the back, suffering the usual consequence of playing a very high line.

Laldinliana Renthlei received the ball on the right but his failed headed clearance, and poor communication with captain Ryan Edwards, saw Alexis Gomez latch on to the ball.

He beat Chennaiyin goalkeeper Samik Mitra but his final shot, off his left foot, hit the woodwork which was followed by a heavy sigh by the fans.

The score read 0-0 but for only for six more minutes.

As communication in Chennaiyin’s defence line remained on the back burner, Chhakchhuak delivered a similar long ball into the final third and this time, PC Laldinpuia’s mistake saw Fanai Lalremsanga find the net, stunning the nearly 10,000-strong home crowd to silence.

In the second half, Coyle tried to add fresh legs in midfield and in attack, bringing on Kiyan Nassiri, Gurkirat Singh and Wilmar Jordan Gil.

But Mohammedan’s heavy low-block, with seven white shirts while out of possession, kept the home side at bay, eventually minimising its hopes of marking its homecoming on the same note where it had left last season, with a comeback win among rejoicing fans.

The match looked to take a fresh turn in the dying moments when Chennaiyin’s Laldinpuia conceded a penalty in second-half stoppage time but Cesar Manzoki missed it.

Seconds later, Lukas Brambilla came close to scoring at the other end but Chhakchhuak and Gaurav Bora’s joint header, inches in front of the goal-line, ensured it was the visiting side that came away with full points.

Chennaiyin travels to Hyderabad FC on October 1 while Mohammedan plays Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the mini-Kolkata derby, four days later.