Chennaiyin FC capped off its home assignment in the AFC Cup with a 1-0 success over Abahani Limited Dhaka (Bangladesh) at The Arena Stadium here on Tuesday.
Chennaiyin FC skipper Mailson Alves (centre) in action against Abahani Dhaka in the AFC Cup
Ahmedabad:
The first real chance of the match fell to Abahani winger Kervens Belfort in just the second minute, but his headed strike went wide. The former Kerala Blasters man made a couple of mazy runs in the left flank, getting the better of Laldinliana Renthlei.
In the 20th minute, Thapa was fouled by Sohel Rana near the half-way line and the Indian midfielder whipped in a sumptuous ball from the resulting free-kick. Captain Mailson Alves rose above the rest of the pack, testing Dhaka keeper Md Sahidul Alam, who made a good save by pushing the ball for a corner.
Abahani striker Sunday Chizoba created some space in front of him and carved out a decent shot in the 28th minute. His effort went through the legs of Eli Sabia but Mailson came to the home side’s rescue, clearing the danger. Chennaiyin was left with just two overseas members on the pitch after Chris Herd was taken off around the half-hour mark. The Aussie, who collided with Sunday in the middle of the park, was replaced by Germanpreet Singh.
The tourist came so close to taking the lead two minutes before the break. Masih Saighani glanced a header towards the far post, which Mohammad Nabib Ziban latched on to. The ball was put into the back of the net but to the dismay of Dhaka, it was ruled out for offside.
It was CFC’s turn to produce a late first half flourish as Dhanpal Ganesh guided the ball slightly away with his head, off a corner in stoppage time. Both teams went into the interval without disturbing the scoreboard, leaving it all to play for in the second period.
After a dull opening 20 minutes in the final half, Chennaiyin full-back Laldinliana brought down frontman Sunday few yards outside the 18-yard-box. Ziban didn’t make good use of the opportunity as home team custodian Karanjit made a routine save off his shot.
Thapa finally broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, beating Sahidul at his near post. Isaac Vanmalsawma found the 21-year-old with a long-range pass, with the goal-scorer setting himself up with a header and running past three defenders. His left-footed strike took a deflection off opposite number Wellington Priori, making it a little uncomfortable for the Abahani keeper.
Anirudh Thapa struck the winner for John Gregory’s men in the 79th minute and helped the host consolidate its position at the top of Group E. Chennaiyin now leads with seven points from three matches, while Dhaka is second with four.
The first real chance of the match fell to Abahani winger Kervens Belfort in just the second minute, but his headed strike went wide. The former Kerala Blasters man made a couple of mazy runs in the left flank, getting the better of Laldinliana Renthlei.
In the 20th minute, Thapa was fouled by Sohel Rana near the half-way line and the Indian midfielder whipped in a sumptuous ball from the resulting free-kick. Captain Mailson Alves rose above the rest of the pack, testing Dhaka keeper Md Sahidul Alam, who made a good save by pushing the ball for a corner.
Abahani striker Sunday Chizoba created some space in front of him and carved out a decent shot in the 28th minute. His effort went through the legs of Eli Sabia but Mailson came to the home side’s rescue, clearing the danger. Chennaiyin was left with just two overseas members on the pitch after Chris Herd was taken off around the half-hour mark. The Aussie, who collided with Sunday in the middle of the park, was replaced by Germanpreet Singh.
The tourist came so close to taking the lead two minutes before the break. Masih Saighani glanced a header towards the far post, which Mohammad Nabib Ziban latched on to. The ball was put into the back of the net but to the dismay of Dhaka, it was ruled out for offside.
It was CFC’s turn to produce a late first half flourish as Dhanpal Ganesh guided the ball slightly away with his head, off a corner in stoppage time. Both teams went into the interval without disturbing the scoreboard, leaving it all to play for in the second period.
After a dull opening 20 minutes in the final half, Chennaiyin full-back Laldinliana brought down frontman Sunday few yards outside the 18-yard-box. Ziban didn’t make good use of the opportunity as home team custodian Karanjit made a routine save off his shot.
Thapa finally broke the deadlock in the 79th minute, beating Sahidul at his near post. Isaac Vanmalsawma found the 21-year-old with a long-range pass, with the goal-scorer setting himself up with a header and running past three defenders. His left-footed strike took a deflection off opposite number Wellington Priori, making it a little uncomfortable for the Abahani keeper.