Chennaiyin FC manage hard-earned win against NorthEast United FC to climb to third in ISL

Chennaiyin FC rode their luck to beat NorthEast United FC 2-1 in a crucial ISL game at the Fatorda Stadium on Saturday. A blooper from CFC goalkeeper Debjit Majumder gave NEUFC the lead through Laldanmawia Ralte in the 35th minute but Chennaiyin turned it around in the second half with goals from Ariel Borysiuk (52nd) and Vladimir Koman (58th) to eke out a hard-fought win.
The win takes Chennaiyin to the third spot in the ISL table with 18 points from 12 games while NEUFC remained at the bottom with nine points from 13 matches.
CFC started the game by playing high-pressing football. Their midfielders Anirudh Thapa and Vladimir Koman combined well with striker Nerijus Valskis to win possession in the midfield and the trio were clinical in their passing. However, CFC were again guilty of not taking their chances.
Their first chance came in the ninth minute when Thapa and Koman used the space offered by NEUFC defence to set up Valskis inside the box. But the striker’s thumping left-footer was thwarted by NEUFC goalkeeper Mirshad Michu.
It was Rahim Ali though who had the best opportunities to give CFC the lead but he fluffed his lines on both occasions. His first chance came in the 32nd minute when Valskis sent a looping ball towards him from the midfield. With NEUFC centreback Patrick Flottmann failing to judge the flight of the delivery, the ball landed nicely at the feet of Ali. But the pressure perhaps got to him and his weak shot failed to test Michu.
There was more misery in store for Ali when a Valskis through ball found him again in one-to-one situation with Michu in the very next minute. But the striker’s first touch was so heavy that the ball rolled away from him.
While CFC’s forwards struggled, NEUFC seized their opportunity which was gifted to them by Majumder. Imran Khan whipped in a corner which Majumder should have collected it cleanly. Instead, the diminutive goalkeeper made a mess of it as he neither pouched the ball nor fisted it away from danger. Shockingly, he palmed it in front of his goal line hoping his defenders would clear the ball. It was NEUFC players who reacted swiftly and made the most of it. Flottmann laid it off for Laldanmawia Ralte and the winger tapped it home.
But Debjit made amends for his mistake later in the game when he came up with a brilliant double save to help CFC hold on to the lead that they took after they conceded the first goal.
The first goal, though, boosted NEUFC’s confidence as they looked a far more settled side while CFC were often left frustrated for the rest of the first half.
However, a resolute CFC changed the course of the game by scoring two goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half. It all started with a bit of luck. After receiving a ball from Ali on the edge of the box, Borysiuk took a courageous shot which found a deflection from Sehnaj Singh before nestling in the back of the net.
The second goal arrived from Koman’s free-kick from the left flank. The midfielder’s brilliant curling delivery evaded his own teammate Slavko Damjanovic’s attempt to connect with the ball with his head as well as the NEUFC defenders and Michu to find the back of the net.
The NEUFC players tried their best to mount a comeback and came close to finding the equaliser on a number of occasions but Koman’s goal proved to be the eventual winner.