Two first-half goals was enough for Chennaiyin FC to edge past FC Goa 2-1 in their opening Indian Super League match, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.
Balwant Singh (32nd minute) and Elano Blumer (42nd minute) scored to silence the huge home crowd, and while FC Goa pulled one back in the 65th minute, it could do no better.
Under high humidity, the teams struggled to live up to the pre-match hype. The passing was sketchy and the players struggled to construct attacking moves of worth.
In keeping with the less-than-smooth action, the first goal came in fortuitous circumstances. A cross into the box was chested down by Brazilian striker Elano, but he soon lost control and fell to the ground. The FC Goa defenders inexplicably backed off, leaving an unmarked Balwant with an easy tap-in. The 27-year-old became the first Indian to find the net in the ISL.
Elano then put the visitor two ahead with a goal of pure skill. The former Manchester City striker struck a free-kick from just outside the box over the wall, and the goalkeeper Jan Seda stood planted to the ground as the ball nestled into the top-corner.
FC Goa started the second-half with more conviction, leading to French Gregory Arnolin latching onto a shot across goal by Youness Bengelloun. The home side had pulled itself into the contest, and things looked up when accomplished East Bengal forward Ranti Martins checked into the match in the 77th minute.
Martins — who ran onto the field to a huge ovation — nearly pulled off the equaliser in the dying minutes of the game. He deflected the ball towards goal from close range, only for custodian Gennaro Bracigliano to pull off a terrific save. Another chance went astray, and it was curtains for FC Goa.
Apart from the poor finishing, FC Goa was also pulled down by some rough tackling on its marquee player, Robert Pires. Pires was targeted by the defenders, who frequently brought him to his knees with unapologetic tackles. The Frenchmen nearly lost his cool on one occasion, but wisely chose to walk away without retaliating.
On the other side of the field, Marco Materazzi, Chennai's best-known face, was a happy man.
The player-manager pulled all the right strings from the sidelines, and made a winning start to his career in this new role.
The result: Chennaiyin FC 2 (Balwant Singh 32, Elano Blumer 42) bt FC Goa 1 (Gregory Arnolin 65).
