Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Chennaiyin FC’s woes in the Hero Indian Super League season were compounded by Delhi Dynamos FC, who scripted a 3-1 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Saturday.

Daniel Lalhlimpuia’s (16’) header had given Delhi the lead before a Raphael Augusto penalty (38’) restored parity. However, two second-half goals from former Chennaiyin FC man Bikramjit Singh (78’) and Nandhakumar Sekar (82’) handed Delhi Dynamos their first win of the season.

The result sees Delhi jump to the ninth spot with seven points from 12 games while Chennaiyin dropped to the bottom of the table with no chance now of retaining the title they won so majestically last season.

It were Chennaiyin FC who began the brighter of the two teams, with Carlos Salom going close with a header from a narrow angle in the fifth minute.

Despite patchy football in attack, the home team were full of intent and could have capitalised in the 12th minute after Marti Crespi lost the ball in defence and had to bring down Salom. Chennaiyin executed a good routine from the resulting free-kick and Raphael Augusto’s goal bound effort had to be brilliantly clawed out by Delhi goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsorro.

A few minutes later, Delhi took advantage of a complacent Chennaiyin defence to take the lead. Rene Mihelic played Nandhakumar clear down the left wing and his cross from the byline was expertly headed in by Daniel.

Stung by the goal, the hosts showed greater urgency in attack and started creating chances. Salom saw a good header saved by Dorronsorro before Mailson Alves failed to direct Anirudh Thapa’s corner in from close range.

However, their efforts were rewarded in the 37th minute when Salom was knocked down in the box by Mohd Sajid Dhot while trying to control a cross. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty and Raphael easily dispatched it to bring Chennaiyin on level terms.

Chennaiyin FC continued to see more of the ball after the break. However, the game was scrappy with both teams failing to string together a quality move in the final third.

The home team did have a chance in the 63rd minute when they broke forward on a counter-attack. Issac Vanmalsawma, who was introduced in the second half, could only come up with a tame effort at the end of it, much to the disappointment of coach John Gregory.

The wasted the chances came back to haunt the defending champions in the 78th minute when Lallianzuala Chhangte was set free down the right on a counter. He squared the ball to Bikramjit Singh in the box who had the simple task of rolling it past Karanjit Singh to send Delhi 2-1 ahead.

Four minutes later, the result was sealed by Nandhakumar who saw his shot from outside the box take a big deflection and nestle in the back of the net, leaving the defending champions shell-shocked.

(ISL Media)

Margao, Goa: FC Goa turned on the style in the second session as they drubbed NorthEast United FC 5-1 in an entertaining Hero Indian Super League clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday.

Ferran Corominas grabbed a brace (59’, 84’) to equal Iain Hume’s tally of 28 goals and pull level with him as the all-time highest scorer in the ISL. Edu Bedia (69’), Hugo Bumous (71’) and Miguel Palanca (90+1’) also got on the scoresheet for Goa, while Bartholomew Ogbeche (90) scored a consolation for the visitors.

The win sees Goa climb to the third spot on the table with 20 points from 11 games, a place above NorthEast United.

FC Goa started the game well, keeping hold of the ball well and looking to get in behind the NorthEast United defence. They had a chance in the very first minute when a poor touch from Gurwinder Singh allowed Jackichand Singh to get a shot away which hit the side-netting.

Boumous, who was finding a lot of space to operate, then saw Coro and Mourtada Fall fail to get a touch to his inviting cross into the box.

Despite sustained intent from the Gaurs, NorthEast hung on and slowly grew into the game. Though they did create a couple of half-chances towards the end of the first half, nothing concrete came off them.

However, they improved after the break and should have taken the lead in the 54th minute when Federico Gallego played Redeem Tlang through on goal. The winger eased past Mandar Rao Dessai and reached the byline. But he could not control the ball and ended up rolling it towards goalkeeper Mohammed Nawaz, who cleared it for a corner.

Goa were fortunate to escape an appeal for a handball inside the box but Sergio Lobera’s team responded by surging into the lead in the 59th minute. Jackichand was afforded space down the right wing and his cross was acrobatically turned in by Coro to end his goal drought.

That strike opened the floodgates as Goa found their freescoring ways again. Edu Bedia slipped past Gurwinder Singh in the 69th minute before executing a delightful chip to make it 2-0.

Brandon Fernandes’ low cross was expertly steered home by Boumous two minutes later as NorthEast United looked stunned.

With confidence seeping through them, Goa had the time to get another goal. This time, Boumous was the provider with a good ball across the box and Coro tapped in his 10th goal of the campaign.

Ogbeche’s late consolation goal for NorthEast United, however, would not dampen the party in Goa as Miguel Palanca added a fifth for the Gaurs after a surging run into the box in injury time.

(ISL Media)

Bengaluru, Karnataka: After back-to-back draws, Bengaluru FC returned to winning ways in the Hero Indian Super League with a solitary goal win against ATK at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, on Thursday.

It was Erik Paartalu, who scored the winner when these sides met in Kolkata earlier this season, and the Australian midfielder proved to be their nemesis yet again. A 37th-minute header from the Aussie separated the teams and gave the hosts their eighth win of the season.

Bengaluru extended their lead at the top of the table to six points ahead of the international break and preserved their unbeaten start to the season, while ATK remain sixth with 11 points from 12 matches and without a win in six matches.

The teams started with urgency that resulted in openings at both ends. Kean Lewis dribbled past Ankit Mukherjee and crossed for Sunil Chhetri in the box but the India international shot wide. Within minutes, Ricky Lallawmawma found Jayesh Rane’s run into the box from the left flank and the Indian winger’s shot was blocked by Nishu Kumar.

Things heated up as ATK denied space for Bengaluru to freely operate in midfield and the tackles started flying in as the half progressed.

In the 19th minute, ATK’s Gerson Vieira laid the ball for Everton Santos who sent a powerful shot towards Gurpreet Singh’s goal. The Indian goalkeeper got his body behind the effort and saved.

Bengaluru took the lead in the 37th minute following a period of consistent pressure. Udanta Singh won possession on the right and Bengaluru switched play over to Kean Lewis on the left who played an exquisite cross into the centre of the box. Paartalu sneaked in between John Johnson and Andre Bikey, leapt above the pair and glanced a header into the net.

Two minutes into the second half, ATK striker Balwant Singh ghosted in behind the Bengaluru centre-backs to latch on to a long free-kick from the visitors’ own half. Despite a head start over the defenders, Balwant was dispossessed inside the box with a brilliant recovery tackle by Juanan before the striker could get a shot away.

The Bengaluru defence was caught watching the ball again as Manuel Lanzarote swung a free-kick into the box in the 57th minute. Balwant Singh moved into the space between the defence and the goalkeeper but blasted his effort over the crossbar from five yards.

ATK went close again in the 68th minute when John Johnson’s through-ball from the back released Balwant into space behind the hosts’ backline. The Indian striker dribbled into the box and struck a low shot that rolled just inches wide of the goal.

Udanta Singh could have doubled his team’s lead in the 73rd minute. Dimas Delgado threaded a well-timed through-ball for the Indian winger who skipped past Lallawmawma, dribbled into the box but sliced his effort wide.

Despite concerted effort from ATK to sneak in an equaliser in the closing stages, Bengaluru remained firm at the back to win all three points.

(ISL Media)

Jamshedpur, Jharkhand: Jamshedpur got their chase for the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) play-offs back on track with an excellent 2-1 comeback win against Delhi Dynamos on Wednesday at the Tata Sports Complex.

Lallianzuala Chhangte opened the scoring in the 24th minute but Tim Cahill restored parity in the 29th minute with a trademark header. Jamshedpur completed the comeback after the break with a 61st minute match-winner from Farukh Choudhary.

Delhi started with a bang and almost scored within seconds from kick-off. Adria Carmona played a neat one-two with Rene Mihelic outside the box and thumped a powerful shot that rattled the crossbar and went out.

The visitors’ desire to take an early lead denied Jamshedpur time and space on the pitch. In the 7th minute, Marcos Tebar played a delightful ball over the top for Lallianzuala Chhangte who beat Tiri for pace but hit the ball off target.

Delhi kept knocking on the doors and took the lead in the 24th minute. Narayan Das’ cross from the left flank was met by Mihelic inside the box who squared the ball for Chhangte. The pass took a deflection off Tiri and fell perfectly for Chhangte who slotted home.

Jamshedpur hit back with an equaliser five minutes later. Carlos Calvo took a short corner and exchanged passes with Memo before delivering into the box for Tim Cahill who headed into the net.

The hosts tried to put pressure on the Delhi defence after the break. In the 50th minute, Choudhary delivered a low cross from the right flank and with the defenders focused on Cahill’s movement inside the box, Mario Arques timed an excellent run towards the near post but failed to head the ball on target.

The creator then turned goalscorer in the 61st minute. Delhi failed to deal with a Carlos Calvo corner that caused panic inside the box. Marcos Tebar tried to head the air-borne ball clear but it fell to Choudhary who slammed a terrific strike into the top left corner of the net from the edge of the box.

In the 70th minute, Nandhakumar Sekar failed to get the better of Robin Gurung inside the box as the ball hit the full-back’s hand. The visitors’ appeals for a penalty were waved away as the loose ball fell to Andrija Kaludjerovic whose snapshot was kept out by Subrata Paul.

Kaludjerovic tried to single-handedly rescue a point for Delhi with a mazy run from the left flank. The striker skipped past a couple of challenges, entered the box and sent a forceful strike at Paul who parried the ball away and thereby, sealed a vital victory for Jamshedpur.

(ISL Media)

Pune, Maharashtra: FC Pune City continued with their resurgence as they produced a spirited display to register a 2-0 win over FC Goa in a Hero Indian Super League clash at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, here Tuesday.

A terrific striker from Marcelinho in the 74th minute and a late penalty from Marko Stankovic (90+4’) separated the two sides as Pune kept consecutive clean sheets.

With only one point from three previous games, FC Goa’s struggles after the international break in November continued and they find themselves in the fourth spot with 17 points. Pune, meanwhile, have climbed to the seventh spot with their second consecutive win, and more importantly avenged their 2-4 hammering in Goa when interim coach Pradyum Reddy had just taken charge.

Goa dominated possession in the early stages of the game as Pune willingly dropped deep and set themselves up for quick counters. Hugo Boumous initiated a good move in the 12th minute as he picked out Seriton Fernandes’ run on the right flank. The full-back returned the favour with a cross into the centre but Boumous, who got on the end of it, sent his effort wide.

Pune had an excellent chance to take the lead in the 17th minute when Iain Hume’s long diagonal over the top for Marcelinho caught Goa’s defence off-guard. Seriton tracked back and nicked the ball off the Brazilian with a last-ditch tackle.

With the match turning out to be an end-to-end affair, Goa threatened again in the 22nd minute. Edu Bedia’s lob allowed Brandon Fernandes to dribble into the box and force a good save from Kamaljit Singh.

With three minutes left for the end of the first half, Mandar Rao Dessai’s cut-back from the left found Ferran Corominas in the centre of the box and the forward laid the ball off for Edu to send a powerful effort that hit the crossbar.

Goa pulled the strings again after the break but Pune had no plans to sit back despite Goa’s dominance. In the 55th minute, Ashique Kuruniyan sneaked towards the byline and chipped a good cross for Nim Dorjee Tamang whose close-range header was parried away by Mohammad Nawaz.

Ahmed Jahouh took it upon himself to take the Pune defence out of the equation with a swerving strike from outside the box in the 70th minute but Kamaljit produced an exceptional save to tip the ball away.

A minute later, Mourtada Fall’s failure to clear the ball allowed Marcelinho to dribble into the box at the other end but the Brazilian forward’s shot was brilliantly saved by Nawaz.

The Brazilian worked his magic to give Pune the lead in the 74th minute. Sarthak Golui’s pass found Marcelinho in space outside the box and the latter unleashed a beautiful curling strike that kissed the back of the net.

Jahouh hit the post with a similarly outstanding effort at the other end two minutes later as Goa sought an equaliser.

Despite Goa pouring forward in attack, Pune held them off well and won a penalty late on when Marko Stankovic was held by Mohammed Ali. The midfielder stepped up and converted from 12 yards to seal a hard-fought victory for Pune City.

(ISL Media)

Bengaluru, Karnataka: Bengaluru FC failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-men Mumbai City FC in an engrossing Hero Indian Super League battle at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, on Sunday.

In an end-to-end affair till the last minute, Udanta Singh gave Bengaluru the lead in the 23rd minute. Modou Sougou equalized in the 31st minute and the teams could not be separated for the remainder of the match as Bengaluru maintained their unbeaten record and Mumbai took their unbeaten streak to seven matches.

The point preserves Bengaluru’s three-point advantage at the top while Mumbai City are second with 21 points.

Sunil Chhetri’s vision to thread a through-ball into the box to pick out a clever run by Chencho Gyeltshen almost resulted in the hosts taking an early lead in the sixth minute. The Bhutanese forward latched on to his captain’s pass but drove a low shot across the face of goal that failed to test Mumbai custodian Amrinder Singh.

The hosts’ intent in the final third helped them take the lead in the 23rd minute. Chencho Gyeltshen played a through ball to release Rahul Bheke into space down the left flank. The full-back’s cross found Udanta Singh perfectly positioned in the centre of the box and the Indian winger managed to beat the tall figure of Lucian Goian to a header into the net.

Mumbai City attempted to punish the home side’s high line and Modou Sougou was tasked with exploiting the space behind the Bengaluru backline. After three offside calls, Sougou’s persistence paid off in the 31st minute. Arnold Issoko dribbled infield from the right flank and played a delightful cross into the centre for the Senegalese striker whose diving header left Gurpreet Singh rooted to the spot.

Gurpreet was troubled again in the 36th minute when Issoko produced another brilliant ball towards the far post. Nishu Kumar lost track of Rafael Bastos but the striker’s header was well kept out by the Indian goalkeeper.

Bengaluru were in the ascendancy soon after the break. Substitute Xisco Hernandez found Sunil Chhetri in space just outside the box in the 49th minute and the striker’s swerving strike that took a minor deflection off Goian forced an excellent finger-tip save from Amrinder Singh.

Mumbai were reduced to 10 men two minutes later. With the game on an equal footing, Sehnaj Singh’s foolhardy challenge on Dimas Delgado at the halfway line was punished with a second yellow.

But despite the numerical disadvantage, Mumbai kept on pushing and in the 64th minute, quick footwork helped Rafael Bastos get the better of Albert Serran near the byline and tease a cross towards the near post where Sougou’s header flew just wide.

The sending off did nothing to impact the pace of the game as both sides looked for a match-winning goal. A scramble inside the box in the 73rd minute resulted in Xisco Hernandez finding the ball at his feet but the Spaniard’s shot was saved by Amrinder. Erik Paartalu’s header from the resulting corner-kick struck the crossbar and went out.

Despite frantic passages of play towards the end, there were no victors in what was a closely-fought tie.

(ISL Media)