Chennaiyin FC treated its fans, who returned to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after over two years, to an entertaining 1-1 draw against Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Friday.
Prasanth Karuthadathkuni scored the equaliser after the home side went behind to an early goal from Roy Krishna. The Marina Machans’ keeper Debjit Majumder was sent off late in the game and Chennaiyin had to be content with a point.
Catch the match HIGHLIGHTS here
Both teams were unchanged from their wins on matchday 1 and it was Bengaluru which struck the opening blow inside four minutes and silenced the home crowd. Sivasakthi Narayanan picked up a loose ball on the right, and had the time to measure his cross with the outside of his boot into the six-yard area, where Roy Krishna met with a glancing header as the ball looped over Debjit and into the net.
After a sedate start, Chennaiyin kicked into gear from the 15-minute mark. They cut off the passes between the lines and won the second balls to press forward in attack. Prashanth and fullback Ajith Kumar, who had forgettable outings in the win over ATK Mohun Bagan, were menacing on the right side which was exposed in a 3-5-2 formation. Prashanth made surging runs into the box, while Ajith provided support in attack with Jiteshwor Singh.
Chennaiyin relentlessly peppered Bengaluru’s box with crosses and runs into the box. Prasanth had a shot saved by Gurpreet, Fallou Diagne’s header from a corner missed the goal by a fraction and Petar Sliskovic thundered the crossbar with a volleyed effort.
The pressure paid off in the added minute of the first half when Sliskovic drew the attention of centre-back Sandesh Jhingan by dropping down to receive the ball before superbly turning to play in a through ball into the space vacated by Jhingan. Prasanth made the run on goal, and set himself up before slotting a finish past Gurpreet.
Vafa Hakhamaneshi of Chennaiyin FC came in as the replacement for the red-carded Debjit Majumdar. | Photo Credit: Focus Sports/ ISL
At the start of the second period, Bengaluru coach Simon Grayson removed Sivasakthi for midfielder Jayesh Rane to deal with Chennaiyin’s rampaging right side. The second half was an even contest with both teams pushing forward in search of a goal to take the lead. Gurpreet remained the busier of the two keepers but the flow of the game was doused for the break in substitutions.
As the game became stretched, in the 82 nd minute, Debjit Majumder brought down Roy Krishna, just outside his own box, to receive a straight red. With Chennaiyin having used up its three substitution windows, centreback Vafa Hakhamaneshi donned the keeping gloves.
While Bengaluru tried to make the man advantage count, it was Chennaiyin, which conjured a chance out of nothing in added time. Substitute Kwame Karikari made a run from inside his own half to build the expectations of the watching crowd but his shot went over the bar.
The result: Chennaiyin FC (Prasanth K 45+1’) 1-1 Bengaluru FC (Roy Krishna 4’)
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