It may have netted four goals against fellow-ISL side NorthEast United in its opening match, but Chennaiyin FC failed to score one against the I-League team Churchill Brothers on Saturday. The goalless draw in the Group D match thus earned Churchill its first point in the Super Cup.
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It was a well-deserved point too for the Goan side, which fought hard against its formidable rival. It defended superbly right through to deny the Chennaiyin forwards. Joseph Clemente was the standout performer in the Churchill defence.
Churchill had been reduced to 10 men towards the end when Richard Costa was sent off after getting a second yellow card. Chennaiyin could not take advantage of that, just as it could not of all the chances it created right through the game or the much bigger percentage of possession (63).
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Chennaiyin had 17 shots at goal (against seven of Churchill) and got 10 corners (against five). It was indeed that kind of a day for the team from Chennai.
Right from the beginning, Aakash Sangwan was initiating some threatening moves for Chennaiyin on the left side. In the eighth minute, he gave a superb pass to Edwin Vanspaul, who failed to connect it.
Though Churchill was forced to defend for much of the match, it created some scoring opportunities, too, especially for Ansumana Kromah. Poor finishing was one of the themes of the match.
Later, NorthEast United defeated Mumbai City 2-1. The winner led 1-0 at half-time.
The result: Chennaiyin FC 0 drew with Churchill Brothers 0; NorthEast United 2 (Wilmar Jordan Gil 32- pen & 50) bt Mumbai City 1 (Lalengmawia Ralte 85).