Kochi, March 7
Chennaiyin FC dished out a dominating performance to pocket full points against hosts Kerala Blasters with a solitary goal win in the Indian Super League 2025-26 season at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Saturday.
Midfielder Imran Khan's 42nd-minute strike proved to be the clincher as Chennaiyin moved up on the table with four points on the board.
Head coach Clifford Miranda's decision to bring back Imran Khan into the starting eleven proved to be an apt move that promised to pay dividends right from the kickoff. Imran made his intentions clear at the fourth minute when he rattled the Kerala Blasters' defence with a shot that came back off the crossbar.
Imran decided not to let the rival defence leave in peace, and another of his brilliant runs nearly gave Chennaiyin the lead 10 minutes later. This time his shot hit the side of the net.
This was the period in the first half when Chennaiyin FC were virtually camping in the Kerala Blasters' area. They initiated a series of raids, and one of them in the 15th minute almost fetched them a goal, but all Farukh Choudhary managed was to head the ball over.
Three minutes before half-time, skipper Alberto Noguera provided a perfect ball for Imran inside the box to do the needful. Imran's shot took a slight deflection off a defender before going in, leaving the hapless Kerala custodian Arsh Anwer Shaikh stranded.
If the first half was all about attacks, the next session was different. With Kerala Blasters making desperate attempts to draw level, CFC had to engage in some serious defending to keep their lead intact. While Blasters came close to scoring on more than one occasion, Chennaiyin defenders did their job with a good amount of confidence. They were equally backed by goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz, who kept the lead intact with an incredible double stop from close range.
But it wasn't a story of Chennaiyin spending their time managing their defence only. On the counterattacks, they were always looking to strike the blow, and one such move during the closing stages nearly doubled the lead for the visitors. This time, Noguera made good use of the gap in the Kerala defence and unleashed a low shot that narrowly missed the target.
Protecting their lead successfully for the entirety, the Marina Machans recorded their first win over Kerala Blasters at the latter's home ground in six years, with Nawaz named Man of the Match.
They will next face FC Goa at home, the first of five such fixtures at home.
- IANS
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