On a day when temperature fell to 3-degree Celsius despite good sunshine, Pedro Manzi Javier-led Chennai City FC failed to check the free run of Real Kashmir FC and the 7,000-strong vociferous crowd here.
The Snow Leopards, as the players are called locally, won by a solitary goal against table-toppers Chennai to open up the title race on Monday. The match was decided by Gnohere Krizo’s header in the 82nd minute. This is their second successive I-League game win. Kashmir now stand third in the table behind Churchill Brothers, only on goal difference.
The local outfit did not allow Chennai players to keep the ball in possession for so long. The visitors, already fighting against the cold conditions here, found it hard to fend off Kashmir’s early attacks.
The hosts almost took lead in the 13th minute follwing a goal-mouth melee from a corner kick. But the ball missed the goal by a few inches.
Chennai’s only threat in the first quarter came in the 20th minute when local goalkeeper Bilal Khan failed to collect a Sandro Rodriguez free-kick. However, two of Bilal’s defenders were quick enough to clear the threat. The best chance for Kashmir came in the 32nd minute when forward Krizo found himself in space for a shot. But Chennai custodian Nauzet Santana made an acrobatic save.
The second half saw both teams keeping possession to frustrate each other. But it was Krizo along with attacking midfielder Mason Robertson, son of the Kashmir head coach, who forced Chennai a bit deep in their defence. In the 72nd minute, Sanatan rose to the occasion again to deny Krizo yet another chance to score. But 10 minutes later, luck finally smiled on the RKFC as Danish put a dipping cross into the box from the right corner and an unmarked Krizo didn’t miss.