Chennaiyin FC defeated East Bengal FC by 3-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata, in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Saturday.
The Marina Machans broke their seven-game-long winless streak and progressed to the 10th spot with 21 points to their name due to this win, trailing the sixth-placed Bengaluru FC (28) by seven points and keeping their playoff hopes intact, as stated in a release from ISL.
Vishnu Puthiya got East Bengal FC to a cracker of a start by testing his luck from a distance as early as in the second minute of the match. While Dimitrios Diamantakos served him a pass to engage in further build-up, Vishnu backed his instinct and went straight for the middle of the goal, which was saved by Mohammed Nawaz.
Despite the early forays by the home side, Chennaiyin FC discovered the maiden breakthrough due to an error by Nishu Kumar in the 13th minute. Charging down the middle with the ball, Wilmar Jordan Gil unlocked the East Bengal FC defence with a slick through ball for Connor Shields.
However, Shields did not control the ball to the best of his abilities and instead, a perplexing situation emerged inside the 18-yard area where none of the East Bengal FC players made a definitive clearance.
The ball rolled into the back of the net taking the last touch from Nishu as even goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill had moved out of his line to prevent the danger, albeit unsuccessfully. Wilmar donned a more advanced role in the final third post this goal, as the Marina Machans sensed an opening to pile further pressure on the East Bengal FC defence.
Though the first goal came from the centre, the Owen Coyle-coached side began tapping into different alternatives too, banking on the proficiency of their wingers and fullbacks to stretch the home team's defensive third. In the 21st minute, Irfan Yadwad mustered a cross for Wilmar, who was placed in extremely close range.
The striker pounced upon the chance, drilling the ball into the bottom left corner to double their lead with ease. Saul Crespo took it upon himself to cut the deficit with a rather ambitious effort from outside the box in the 43rd minute, but the ball sailed over the top right corner.
Vignesh Dakshinamurthy immediately returned the favour at the other end, swinging in a cross for Lalrinliana Hnamte, which the latter met adeptly but was blocked in time to thwart a third goal from going in.
Hnamte continued assisting upfront, laying up a delivery for Lukas Brambilla at the edge of the box in the 54th minute. Brambilla had enough time to launch a strong effort but his effort didn't trouble the target, meandering down the left side of the post.
With the back-and-forth sequence of exchanges furthering, Vishnu tried turning the provider from the flank with a lateral ball for Diamantakos, which the striker headed way off the right side of the post in the 69th minute.
Naorem Mahesh Singh joined hands with Richard Celis to cause problems to the Chennaiyin FC backline five minutes later, but Nawaz stood strong to save at the top centre of the goal and work towards leading his team towards an important clean sheet.
Daniel Chima Chukwu eventually found Chennaiyin FC's third goal of the night late in the added time of the second half. As the Marina Machans embarked on a fast break after resisting a wave of offensive pressure,
Kiyan Nassiri showed smarts to make a headed pass in Chukwu's path, which the striker comfortably slotted into the bottom right corner to seal the win for the visitors.
Wilmar Jordan Gil was a constant presence in the East Bengal FC box, completing 12 out of his 20 attempted passes. He scored once and played a key part in the lead-up to the opening strike of the match too.
East Bengal FC play their next game against Mohammedan SC on February 16, and Chennaiyin FC will square off against Punjab FC on February 15.
