ISL 2018: Bikramjit, Nandhakumar seal Dynamos' first win

Second half goals from Delhi Dynamos’ Bikramjit Singh and Nandhakumar put the game beyond Chennaiyin FC, which slumped to another home defeat and replaced Dynamos at the bottom of the ISL table.

Former Chennaiyin man Bikramjit Singh scores Dynamos' second.

Delhi Dynamos finally managed a win in the Indian Super League this season as it defeated Chennaiyin FC 3-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Second half goals from Dynamos’ Bikramjit Singh and Nandhakumar put the game beyond Chennaiyin, which slumped to another home defeat and replaced Dynamos at the bottom of the ISL table. It could have been a different story for the host had Raphael Augusto not managed to miss a sitter at the stroke of half-time with the score still level at 1-1.

AS IT HAPPENED

Chennaiyin had a chance to take the lead in the 13th minute, when Carlos Salom was fouled near the edge of the box after defender Marti Crespi carelessly gave the ball away. Dynamos goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro pulled off a brilliant goal-line save to keep out Raphael Augusto’s shot from the resulting free-kick.

 

The visitor snatched the lead just a minute later through a diving header from forward Daniel Lalhlimpuia. Nandhakumar floated the ball in from the left flank and Lalhlimpuia, left unmarked in the box, was there to slot it in the bottom corner on the dive.

Magical Augusto

Augusto, once again, was magical in midfield, slaloming through the opposition and playing neat through balls into dangerous positions. In one move, he put Salom through on goal, but a last-ditch tackle from Crespi preserved the slender lead for Dynamos.

But Augusto soon equalised, calmly converting a penalty in the 39th minute given for Mohammad Dhot’s foul on Carlos Salom. The Chennai crowd, which has had very little to cheer for this season, erupted into chants of their favourite Brazilian midfielder.

Raphael Augusto brings Chennaiyin level from the spot. PHOTO: M. Vedhan

 

Chennaiyin had the chance of the game moments before the interval. Augusto, who was on the end of it, somehow managed to send the shot, from barely five yards away from goal, over the crossbar.

Disastrous season continues

Bikramjit sent Dynamos back into the lead in the 78th minute at the end of a well-worked counter-attack. Lalhlimpuia, who found acres of space in front of him, squared the ball in to Bikramjit, who side-footed his finish past Karanjit Singh. Celebrations were, however, muted from the former Chennaiyin player.

Four minutes later, Nandhakumar’s right-footed shot from outside the box took a big deflection off Mailson Alves before beating Karanjit to extend Dynamos’ lead as a disastrous season continued for defending champion Chennaiyin.