Chennai edge past Pune to gain top four berth as Jeje shines in dull match.

A SOLITARY GOAL from Jeje Lalpekhlua made the difference in an otherwise dull encounter at the Balewadi Stadium as a lackluser Pune City went down 0-1 to Chennaiyin FC, who  thanks to this win have gained an entry into the semi-finals at the expense of NorthEast United.

David Platt made 5 changes to the side coming into the last match of the year for Pune; Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Yendrick Ruiz, Gurjinder Singh, Fanai Lalrempuia and keeper Steve Simonsen came into the squad. Materazzi, seeking a top-4 spot for Chennaiyin FC, brought back Elano, Mauele Blasi, Harmanjot Singh Khabra and Mailson Alves into his first eleven. 

The contest was more or less even throughout the first half and pressure of the occasion showed on both sets of players. Early on Adrian Mutu made inroads into Chennai box and Edel managed to keep it out. Then Mendoza invaded the other end and Simonsen punched the ball away.

The teams took their time, refusing to rush themselves, as they waited for the other side to make a mistake. 

James Bailey picked up an elbow knock half an hour into the game and Platt replaced him with Wesley Verhoek. 

Soon after, Elano lofted a ball in from the right flank for Thoi Singh who failed to reach the cross. 

Some back and forth continued, with attacks mostly getting cut off in the midfield. There were few threatening attacks. Other than one towards the end when Elano managed to run a few paces, into the Pune box but an agile Simonsen kept the ball out.

The dull half ended with the scoreline reading 0-0. Pune City players weren't eager to over-exert themselves in a meaningless match. As for Chennaiyin FC, a draw was enough to enter semi-finals, so they were happy to take it slow.

Things started in the save vein in the second half. Chennai were forced to make a change when Alessandro Potenza picked up an injury. Materazzi sent Bernard Mendy in.

Mendoza fed Elano who ran into the box with the ball. Lyngdoh was tailing him and he went down. The referee immediately booked him for diving, which means he is going to miss the first leg of the semi-finals.

Soon Thoi Singh got the ball inside the box from Mendoza but his shot was slapped away for corner by the keeper. But Chennai had started knocking on Pune's doors by then. And the break-through came from Indian international Jeje Lalpekhlua.

It was Stiven Mendoza who supplied the ball to Jeje and the latter took the shot, it hit Govin Singh and came back to him, and Jeje scored off the rebound. 1-0 to the visitors, and heartbreak for all NorthEast United fans.

Almost immediately Mendoza almost cleared the Pune defence in a darting run that could have been the second goal but Eugeneson Lyngdoh recklessly brought him down in a challenge that could have resulted in a serious injury. The referee let the medio off with a yellow but it could have been a straight red on any other night. Thankfully Mendoza was able to continue playing.

Misfortune continued as Gurjinder Singh and Jeje Lalpekhlua ended up clashing heads vying for an aerial ball. Both had to leave the field with bleeding heads and swollen scalps for further treatment. Jeje was eventually replaced by Zakeer Mundampara 

Yendrick Ruiz, who had been ineffective up front all night, was replaced by Kalu Uche as Pune made a feeble attempt to chase the game. Manuele Blasi, meanwhile, made way for Eder as the clock neared the 80 minute mark. Fanai Lalrempua was replaced by Bikash Jairu. 

There were a couple of decent chances towards the end. Elano's ball to Mendoza that Dharmaraj managed to block. And Dhanachandra's cross that Mailson Alves shot wide. And that was it. Chennaiyin FC claimed a 1-0 win to ensure a spot for themselves in the semi-finals.

The result was a vindication for Materazzi's boys who, after suffering lack of form and bad results at the beginning managed to make a comeback with consistent results. Tonight they played after being holed up in the hotel for a long time due to the flood in Chennai. Winning after overcoming those challenges provides extra justification for their semi-final berth.

As for Pune City, their players, especially the attackers, looked half-hearted for most of the game. The campaign was already over and they took it easy. And lost. But it was obvious that that they weren't very upset about that either. While other teams like Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City and NorthEast United went out with a bang, putting up memorable performances for their fans; Pune City, it seems, chose to end their season with a whimper.