MATCH REPORT: A comeback away win for Chennaiyin over ATK ensures top league position
CHENNAIYIN FC edged defending champions ATK 2 – 1 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Thursday in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. Debutant Martin Paterson scored to give the hosts the lead in the first half, before goals from Mailson Alves and Jeje Lalpekhlua turned it around for the 2015 Hero ISL champions, who got their first ever win at Kolkata.
The game started off with neither team making any real inroads into the opposition defence and being restricted to trying their luck from distance. ATK’s new signing David Cotterill, in his first start for the club, unleashed a wayward shot in the 12th minute, before Raphael Augusto blazed a poor effort high into the stands, four minutes later. Cotterill had another shy from distance in the 18th minute, but that effort too, went into the stands.
A minute past the half-hour mark and ATK’s other new signing Paterson fashioned an ambitious effort from a long way out but the ball just about sailed over the top corner. The visitors got the first shot on target in the 38th minute when Anirudh Thapa received Augusto’s pass and shot on goal. However, the ball was directed straight at custodian Debjit Majumder, who managed to gather it.
It was the defending champions though, who took the lead a minute before half-time. Jayesh Rane lifted the ball into the box which Paterson tried to head in, but his header was saved at point-blank range by keeper Karanjit Singh. However, the rebound came straight to the 30-year-old who made no mistake this time in putting the ball into the back of the net. That proved to be the last bit of action from the half, as ATK went into the break with the 1 – 0 lead.
Seven minutes after the restart, Chennaiyin equalised. Augusto’s shot from the edge of the box was parried behind by Debjit. However, from the resulting corner taken by Thapa, Alves got on target a powerful header, to which Debjit got a hand but could not prevent it from going over the line. This happened to be the defender’s first Hero ISL goal.
The visitors, thereafter, took the lead four minutes after the hour mark. Inigo Calderon whipped in a cross from the right, which took a slight deflection off Rane. Debjit, however, fumbled to collect the ball which eventually went off Jeje and rolled into the net.
The hosts were then, really let off the hook in the 71st minute. A mistake at the back from Cotterill allowed Augusto through on goal, and he squared the ball for Jeje. But the latter took his time, which saw his eventual shot being saved by Debjit’s legs. Jeje put in a cross from the rebound, but Augusto’s first-time volley went inches over the crossbar.
That proved to be the last real chance of the match, as the 2 – 1 win propelled Chennaiyin to the top of the table. Consequently, they also completed the double over their opponents for the first time in the league’s history.
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