Chennaiyin FC cruise to commanding 4-1 win over Jamshedpur FC

Chennai, January 23, 2020: Two-time Indian Super League champions climbed to sixth spot with a commanding 4-1 win over Jamshedpur FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday. Lithuanian striker Nerijus Valskis’ brace took him to the top of the ISL Golden Boot standings with 10 goals, as Andre Schembri and Lallianzuala Chhangte also found the back of the net in what was CFC’s third win on the trot.

Chennaiyin achieved the feat of winning three in a row for the first time since December 2017. Head Coach Owen Coyle named an unchanged lineup from the side that registered a 2-0 win over NorthEast United one week back, continuing with the Indian midfield duo of Anirudh Thapa and Edwin Vanspaul a second game running.

And it was all CFC from the word go with Rafael Crivellaro the creator-in-chief. His dribbling, movement and trickery was proving too much to handle for JFC. Apart from giving away cheap fouls against the Brazilian, the visitors were resorting to playing long balls and on the break, trying their best to involve attackers Sergio Castel and David Grande upfront.

It didn’t take too long for CFC to take the lead though. Andre Schembri latched on to a Laldinliana Renthlei throw-in and ran clear of the JFC midfield on the right, slipping a deft through ball for Valskis. The latter took a touch and sent it over the onrushing Subrata Pal to make it 1-0 to the hosts.

Jamshedpur hit back almost immediately following a defensive mix-up for Chennaiyin. Goalkeeper Vishal Kaith misread a long pass for Farukh Choudhary and allowed it to go past him. The ball was trickling into goal, only for skipper Lucian Goian to clear the danger.

Schembri missed a golden chance to make it 2-0 at the other end when he failed to connect with Rafael’s corner from a mere five yards out with the goal gaping. At the other end, Castel had a half-chance when his header went over from a Bikash Jairu cross.

Schembri missed again at the other end, this time a more difficult chance which he did well to fashion. Running on to Rafael’s delicate pass, Schembri’s snapshot from the edge of the box went just wide of the post.

It was end-to-end stuff with half-time approaching. Castel had a huge chance when the ball fell to him from a cut-back. CFC left back Jerry Lalrinzuala did incredibly well to get his body between Castel and goal, getting the slightest of blocks that sent the ball out for a corner.

A counter-attack soon after led to CFC’s second. Valskis drew a good save from Pal after Rafael had set him up. From the resulting corner, Schembri headed home after he was left unmarked yet again. The Maltese forward notching his fourth of the campaign in the process and doubling CFC’s lead.

Jamshedpur came out stronger in the second half and kept possession well for the first 15 minutes after the restart. But CFC remained a threat on the break, for instance when Valskis skied his effort from the center of the box after Rafael had teed him up.

Into the final 20 minutes and JFC pulled one back through Castel. The Spanish striker arched his neck muscles to head past the off-balance Kaith from a Joyner Lourenco cross.

JFC went in search of the equalizer but CFC had other ideas. A moment of brilliance from Thapa and Valskis restored the two-goal cushion on 75 minutes. The India international’s perfect slide-rule pass found Valskis, who did well to cushion it with his first touch. His second touch took the ball past the defender before an exquisite third touch that he dinked over Pal in some style to make it 3-1.

Valskis thus netted his third brace of the season, taking his tally to 10 goals and atop The ISL Golden Boot standings upright.

Thoi Singh and Dragos Firtulescu then replaced Schembri and Rafael respectively. And it was Dragos who was the architect of CFC’s fourth goal, who dribbled and cut in from the right before taking a shot at goal. Pal did manage to parry it but straight to Chhangte, who marked his 50th ISL appearance with a simple shot into the back of the net.

That was that and CFC completed a 4-1 win that takes them to sixth place and three points behind Odisha FC, who have played a game more.