AHMEDABAD: It took three minutes for Chennaiyin FC to inject some life into their AFC campaign.
Sure, they had to sit through an agonising first-half for those three minutes to come. But once they did, onlookers would have been left wondering as to how they really believed there was a chance Chennaiyin FC would fail to beat Manang Marshyangdi.
After ninety minutes, it looked like a straightforward result — a two-goal victory, an impressive defensive performance with the Nepali club rarely managing to threaten and a relaxing final quarter of the game for coach John Gregory (bar one overhead kick by Manang’s Abhishek Rijal that had Karanjit Singh worried). Yet, for the first 45 minutes at The Arena stadium here on Wednesday, Gregory was biting his nails. The day before, Gregory had emphasised the need for his team to be more offensive. His attackers though had not got the memo.
Maybe it was that he had chosen to make a couple of changes to the team that had impressed in the Super Cup. Mohammad Rafi came in for CK Vineeth and looked as rusty as one expected a perpetually-benched player to be. Germanpreet Singh had the industry of Dhanpal Ganesh but none of his other qualities. And Raphael Augusto — arguably the team’s best player — was left entirely out of the squad.
The opening few exchanges made it obvious what the match was going to be like — Manang would have a lot of defending to do and try catch Chennaiyin on the counter. The home team had a couple of corners five minutes into the game and a handball shout ten minutes later. But for all their possession, pressure and intent, Chennaiyin were failing to get the ball to Jeje’s feet or Rafi’s head.
And on the rare occasions they did, the final shot was wayward. Rafi fired one wide in the 23rd minute after latching on to Laldinliana’s cross and then forced a save from the Manang keeper, trying to divert in Jerry Lalrinzuala’s ball. A Jerry corner, around the half-hour mark, whizzed through the box begging for a touch from a blue shirt.
The sense of dread that Gregory might have felt at half-time disappeared soon. The deadlock was finally broken in the 51st minute by Australian Christopher Herd in fortuitous fashion, his shot from outside the box taking a deflection and looping over the head of Manang keeper Bishal Shrestha. Manang had barely restarted the game when the ball was in the net again, an unmarked Mailson Alves heading in an Anirudh Thapa corner. All of a sudden, the skies were blue again for Chennaiyin and the result looked beyond doubt.
The win took them top of their group, ahead of Dhaka Abahani on goal difference. Gregory can take a lot away from the performance of his defence — the clean sheet was their sixth in eight games. Their forwards though will have to find their scoring boots if Chennaiyin are to go far in the tournament.
Minerva held by Abahani Dhaka
DHAKA: Former I-League champions Minerva Punjab FC were held to a 2-2 draw by Abahani Dhaka of Bangladesh in their AFC Cup match here on Wednesday. Mahmoud Al Amnah (16th) and Sreyas Gopalan (42nd) scored for Minerva while Nabib Newas Jibon (20th) and Sunday Chizoba (48th) were on target for the home side in the Group E match at Bangabandhu National Stadium. The Punjab-based side are still searching for their maiden win in the continental event.