Chennaiyin FC came from behind to beat hosts Odisha FC 3-2 in their opening Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
The Chennaiyin staged a comeback in the second half after Odisha FC took a 1-0 lead in the first half through a Diego Mauricio goal.
After the kick-off, Odisha FC made a promising start to the game as they looked dangerous in most of the moves.
Within the first five minutes, the hosts created a chance to score when a corner fell into the feet of Mauricio. The Brazilian’s shot was saved by the defender. His shot in the rebound was grabbed by Chennaiyin goalkeeper Samik Mitra.
However, in the eighth minute, Samik brought down Hugo Boumous inside the box, resulting in a penalty for Odisha FC. Mauricio was calm enough to convert from the spot and give the Juggernauts the desired lead.
Chennaiyin FC on the other hand, got their first real chance in the 22nd minute, when Connor Shields dribbled past Isak Vanlalruatfela in the middle of the park and took his chance from a distance. Amarinder Singh was quick to the rescue as his reflexes helped divert the danger.
A minute later, Chennaiyin FC could have grabbed their potential equaliser. Daniel Chima Chukwu went past Narender Gahlot on the left flank and delivered a pinpoint cross to Farukh Choudhary, who shot it wide from a close distance.
Farukh engineers Chennaiyin FC’s comeback
The second half kicked off briskly with Farukh Choudhary first restoring the parity in the 48th minute before scoring another to give Chennaiyin FC a 2-1 lead.
For the first goal, Connor dribbled past a couple of Odisha FC defenders to send a cross to Farukh. With just Amrinder Singh in front, a tap-in was enough for the Indian winger to restore parity for his side.
Three minutes later, while initiating a build-up, Amrinder miskicked a ball straight into Farukh’s feet inside the 18-yard box. The winger blasted a shot which got some lucky deflection from Ahmed Jahouh and entered the box.
Chennaiyin FC didn’t stop after taking the lead and pounced upon the Odisha FC backline to salvage another goal to extend their lead.
In the 69th minute, they achieved the same, when Laldinliana Renthlei’s cross found Daniel Chima Chukwu just behind the penalty spot.
The Nigerian forward didn’t take a second touch and went direct. His shot gave Amrinder Singh no chance and helped the Marina Machans add to their lead.
Roy Krishna, meanwhile, brought one back for Odisha FC in the 95th minute after he snatched at Boumous’ cross before Samik collected it and placed it calmly into the net. However, as the referee blew the whistle, Chennaiyin FC took home three points.