Chennaiyin FC received a further boost on its road to qualify for the Indian Super League (ISL) 10 playoffs after a 2-1 comeback win against Jamshedpur FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday.
Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, are out of the race for the top-six and will look to end its season on a high against FC Goa in its final game.
The Marina Machans, egged on by a respectable home support, started the match on the front foot.
JFC kept a high line in an away match, allowing Vincy Barretto and Jiteshwor Singh to utilise their pace and make dangerous runs behind the defence. But the resolute Red Miners backline stayed compact to thwart any danger.
Jordan Murray came close to scoring the opener for CFC twice in the first 20 minutes. The first chance came from an early cross by Farukh Choudhary, where the Australian made a run at the near post to try and poke the ball inside the net.
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Three minutes later, a delectable back heel from Rafael Crivellaro allowed Murray to shoot across the face of the goal, only for the ball to miss the target by inches.
It was JFC, however, which silenced the home crowd after scoring against the run of play in the 22nd minute. Muhammed Uvais’ floating cross from the left flank found an unmarked Rei Tachikawa, who beat CFC keeper Debjit Majumder with a looping header.
Tachikawa celebrates scoring the opening goal for Jamshedpur FC against Chennaiyin FC at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. | Photo Credit: Focus Sports / ISL
CFC equalised almost immediately. Ryan Edwards met Crivellaro’s corner with his head but JFC’s goalie TP Rehenesh’s reflexes saw the ball pushed onto the post.
Khalid Jamil’s men almost doubled their lead in the dying minutes of the first half courtesy of Mohammed Sanan, whose effort from the inside the box clattered against the post.
Whatever CFC head coach Owen Coyle said during the half-time talk seemed to have struck a chord among his men. CFC dominated the proceedings right from the start of the second half and took little time to impact the proceedings.
In the 52nd minute, the chance arrived with a blunder by Rehenesh. In a bid to clear the ball, he passed it straight to Crivellaro, who made his former side pay.
Chennaiyin’s Crivellaro scored the equaliser, latching on a blunder by Rehenesh of Jamshedpur FC, in their Indian Super League (ISL) match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. | Photo Credit: Focus Sports / ISL
Riding high on the momentum after scoring the equaliser, second-half substitute Rahim Ali brought the roof down in the 59th minute - just three minutes after coming on the pitch. Showing impressive resilience, he ventured inside the JFC box under pressure and kept his calm to dink the ball past an onrushing Rehenesh.
Jamil tried to use his bench-strength, bringing on attackers in Daniel Chima Chukwu and Komal Thatal after going a goal down, but Coyle’s men held on to preserve their narrow lead.
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