Chennaiyin FC cruised to its third consecutive win, a first in 402 days, as it claimed a dominant 4-1 victory Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League game at the Nehru Stadium on Thursday.
Nerijus Valskis was the hero of the game as his brace saw him storm to the top of the goal-scoring charts and helped his side earn its fourth home win of the season.
Chennaiyin got off to a ferocious start, causing panic in the opposition half from the get-go. The home side's creative force, Rafael Crivellaro, had a couple of chances in the opening 10 minutes but failed to trouble Jamshedpur custodian Subrata Paul on either occasion. However, Paul's resolve between the sticks came to an end in the 13th minute as Valskis' clinical finish saw the home side surge ahead.
Andre Schembri released Valskis down the centre and the Lithuanian finished with poise and broke into his trademark Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration.
Jamshedpur saw more of the ball as the half wore on but the chances were few. The Chennaiyin defence, manned by captain Lucian Goian, did well to fend off the rare counters, with Laldinliana Renthlei doing especially well on the right.
The visitor's biggest attacking threat, Sergio Castel, was largely kept quiet and failed to create an impact much to coach Antonio Irondo's frustration.
And matters got worse for the Spanish coach as Schembri gave the home side a two-goal cushion going into the interval. Crivellaro curled in a fine cross towards the far post and Schembri, who was left unmarked, buried the ball into the net to make it 2-0. This was only the third time this season Chennaiyin had a two-goal lead at the halfway stage.
Jamshedpur struck back through Castel in the 71st minute as he finished Joyner Lourenco's cross with an ingenious header. But the goal was of little relevance as Valskis went on to score his second goal four minutes later. Anirudh Thapa played a neat through ball to him and Valskis' cheeky dink sailed over the 'keeper and into the back of the net. The goal was Valskis' 10th of the season, making him the league's top scorer.
Lallianzuala Chhangte put the tie to bed in the 87th minute with a cool tap in that sealed a remarkable triumph for the home side. The result saw Chennaiyin move to the sixth spot on the table with 18 points from 13 games, while Jamshedpur slipped a place to seventh.
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