A stoppage-time winner by Ankit Mukherjee saw Chennaiyin FC deliver a knockout punch to NorthEast United, beating it 2-1 and eliminating it from the Indian Super League (ISL) playoff race, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday.
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CFC grew into the game eventually as its fan-favourite Rafa Crivellaro started pulling strings in the midfield.
CFC was penalised for playing a high line when Parthib Gogoi combined with Jithin M.S., attacking against the run of play and the latter shooting past Debjit Majumder four minutes after the restart.
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Olympic goal
The visitor then parked the bus, fielding a five-man defence when out of possession and ended up conceding a corner in the 71st minute – one that saw Aakash Sangwan make jaws drop with a left-footed curling Olympic goal.
Just when the match looked to be heading to a 1-1 draw, Ankit put his foot on the gas, storming into the box and shooting into the net, turning the match on its head.
With 27 points from 21 games, Chennaiyin is sixth in the standings and will need just a point in its final league game, against FC Goa, to secure a playoff spot.
The result:
Chennaiyin FC 2 (Sangwan 72, Ankit 90+1) bt NorthEast United FC 1 (Jithin M.S. 49).