DSK Shivajians FC, powered by another outstanding show from captain Juan Quero, frustrated Chennai City FC with lightning attacks and ball possession. The skipper and Kim Song-yong then scored on either side of half-time to ensure a 2-0 victory in the I-League on Tuesday.
The Spanish livewire came off the pitch, having done his work on the left flank, and was applauded by the home fans at the Balewadi stadium.
Chennai City tried gamely to make an impact and spread the game well down the flanks, but found the home side defence difficult to break down. Brazilian striker Charles de Souza was denied room to manoeuvre, or take a shot at goal.
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He was replaced with another Brazilian Marcus Vinicuis late in the second half, but the backline stood firm, forcing the visitors to attempt long-rangers.
Pacy and tricky
Quero and Song-yong were too pacy and tricky for the Chennai City defence. DSK went into the lead in the 30th minute when the Korean directed the ball into the net with a controlled header, beating the goalkeeper with his angle and placement. The captain had supplied the pass, picking out his teammate in the goalmouth and watched Song-yong finish the move in style.
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Shivajians’s second goal came via a penalty. Song-yong followed up a pass near the right corner flag and was felled by defender E. Anyichie. Quero took the kick, calmly slotting the ball high into the right corner in the 57th minute.
The home team pressed from the start, stretching the visitors’ defence with a short, quick passing game. Shahinlal, under the bar, was kept busy collecting snappy attempts.
Chennai City’s spirited effort to float balls into space behind the defenders were cleared in time by the Shivajians.
At the other end, Quero curled his free-kick around the wall and towards the top left corner, but an alert Shah blocked the shot.
The nippy Spaniard made an impact right through the half. However, it was teammate Milan Singh who walked away with the man-of-the-match honours.
The result: DSK Shivajians 2 (Kim Song-yong, Juan Quero) bt Chennai City FC 0.