Anirudh Thapa made the star turn for Chennaiyin FC, scoring one and assisting the other, to help his side overcome ATK by two second-half goals (2-0) in the second semifinal of the Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here on Wednesday.
C.K. Vineeth opened the scoring soon after the break off a Thapa assist before the latter doubled the lead with a fine effort. The two-time ISL champion will meet FC Goa in the final on Saturday.
The opening half was listless as both sides adopted a cautious approach. The only notable opportunity came Chennaiyin’s way in the seventh minute when Brazilian midfielder Augusto set up an overlapping Jerry Larinzuala. The left-back sent a low cross to find Vineeth, but the Chennaiyin attacker tapped the ball wide.
Build-ups
ATK tried a few build-ups through the wings but failed to help its striker Balwant Singh with an opening that could threaten the Chennaiyin goal.
Eugeneson Lyndoh, making a start after a long break after returning from injury, tried a long-ranger but saw the ball miss the target.
The game changed dramatically after the break with Chennaiyin deciding to come out of its defensive shell.
Free role
This approach gave a free role to the talented Thapa and the young midfielder made the most of the opportunity, creating the first goal five minutes into the second half.
Thapa worked his way up from left, getting the better of the ATK centre-back John Johnson and outsprinting defender Pritam Kotal to send a neat goalmouth cross that was easily headed home by Vineeth.
Similar to what he had done during his side’s 2-1 victory against NorthEast United FC in the quarterfinals, Thapa got into the scoring act in the 58th minute.
He drove the ball home with a nice left-footer after Gregory Nelson’s diagonal pass found him at the top of the ATK box.
The result (second semifinal):
Chennaiyin FC 2 (C.K. Vineeth 50, Anirudh Thapa 58) bt ATK 0.
Final (April 13): Chennaiyin vs FC Goa, 8.30 p.m.
