Chennaiyin make the most of Hyderabad mistake to start ISL campaign with a win

A rusty Chennaiyin FC capitalised on a mistake by Hyderabad FC youngster Hitesh Sharma to eke out a 1-0 win in the ISL at the Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Tuesday.
Until the 66th minute, Chennaiyin FC had only one chance in the match. Hyderabad, on the other hand, was dominating possession and creating chances at will. But things turned around quickly when Hitesh fouled CFC captain Anirudh Thapa inside the box after failing to control a ball.Vladimir Koman stepped up and converted from the spot to help CFC get off the blocks.
Hyderabad were left licking their wounds after their forwards, particularly Bartholomew Ogbeche, kept squandering opportunities. There were numerous occasions when Ogbeche, who has a penchant for scoring against CFC with 9 goals in six games, found himself at the right end of a pass or a cross but the Nigerian striker failed to keep his composure during those crucial moments.
Ogbeche’s presence though made Chennaiyin nervous. As a result, they were cagey and flustered. In the absence of their inspirational midfielder Rafael Crivellaro, the attackers too looked bereft of ideas and creativity upfront and kept conceding possession easily. But Hyderabad failed to make the most of their 63 percent possession.
That CFC were unsettled could be evidenced from the fact when goalkeeper Vishal Kaith misjudged an Asish Rai cross into the box and stumbled into Ogbeche and fouled the Nigerian just outside the box. Interestingly, Pranjal Banerjee let him off with a mild warning. But the goalkeeper was up to the task when he made a brilliant save from the resultant Edu Garcia free-kick in the 20th minute.
Ogbeche then failed to put the ball on target in the 28th minute when he took control of a poor backpass from Chennaiyin defender Slavko Damjanovic. But Hyderabad’s best chance came in the 37th minute when Rai played a quick one-two with Edu Garcia on the edge of the box before laying it for Nikhil Poojary. The 26-year-old Poojary made a quick turn to shake off his marker but shot it over the bar.
Hyderabad started the second half from where they left off when Ogbeche was the culprit again for not being able to hit the target after a cross landed at his feet in the 46th minute.
Chennaiyin’s first chance came in the 56th minute when Rahim Ali released Lallianzuala Chhangte on the right. The winger did well to dribble past his marker with silky skills but his shot was palmed over by Kattimani. Eventually, though, Chhangte’s miss hardly mattered as CFC logged three points with the decisive goal coming 10 minutes later.