ISL 2024-25: Chennaiyin ends 2024 on a forgettable note, loses 2-4 to Bengaluru at home
ISL 2024-25: Chennaiyin ends 2024 on a forgettable note, loses 2-4 to Bengaluru at home
Chennaiyin FC succumbed to a fifth defeat in its last six games after losing 4-2 to Bengaluru FC in a high-intensity Indian Super League 2024-25 clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
Ryan Willaims and Jorge Pereyra Diaz combined on either side of half-time, while the league’s record goal scorer Sunil Chhetri’s strike from close range and Laldinliana Renthlei’s own goal helped BFC take all three points.
The visitors almost silenced the boisterous home crowd in the first minute when a completely unmarked Rahul Bheke found himself at the end of a corner. However, Chennaiyin goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz stood his ground and made an important save.
CFC responded with the same aggression; it was BFC’s keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who stopped Daniel Chima Chukwu’s left-footed shot, after running onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Lukas Brambilla.
The absence of Ryan Edwards from the CFC backline was heavily felt as BFC attackers constantly found themselves in space in the opposition half.
The early pressure bore fruit in the 16th minute when Diaz peeled away from PC Laldinpuia inside the box to play a floated cross into the middle. Williams made simple work of placing the ball into the bottom left corner to take the lead.
The home side was handed the equaliser on a plate when Alberto Noguera gave away the ball in his own half. Brambilla took the opportunity and danced his way past the BFC defence before squaring a pass towards Irfan Yadwad in the middle. The youngster had the easiest of finishes for his third goal of the season.
As the minutes ticked on, the game grew physical and both teams kept their foot on the pedal with a plethora of crosses and through balls at either end of the field.
With two minutes of regulation time left in the first half, Williams turned provider after receiving the ball on the right side of the box after an intricate yet well-worked series of passes. Chhetri made a clever run at the far post and thumped the ball in with his head for his ninth goal of the campaign
However, BFC coach Gerard Zaragoza’s expectation of going into half-time with a lead was quashed in the second minute of added time, owing to a costly error from Gurpreet.
Bikash Yumnam launched the ball from a throw-in and Lalrinliana Hnamte rose the highest in the box to direct the ball towards the goal. The 6’6’’ BFC custodian lost the ball and helplessly watched as the ball trickled into the back of the net.
Bengaluru seemed the more composed side in the opening ten minutes of the second half and BFC almost took the lead for the third time on the night when the ball came to Spaniard Pedro Capo on the edge of the box. Nawaz however made a quick reaction save to his right to keep his side in the tie.
BFC took the lead for the third time in the 68th minute and Williams was at the heart of the action once again, carrying the ball from the middle of the pitch before Diaz set him up for an easy finish inside the six-yard area.
Coyle turned to substitutes Kiyan Nassiri and Wilmar Jordan Gil to get his side back in the game but, the BFC defence, boosted by the arrival of Aleksandar Jovanovic from the bench saw the game through.
CFC thrust the final dagger into its own chances of taking something away from the game when Renthlei’s attempted clearance of William’s cross, rolled into his own net.
The result left CFC ninth in the table with 15 points while BFC remained second, two points behind leader Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
