Materazzi coached side pin Pune to edge past Kolkata
Jeje Lalpekhlua is ecstatic after scoring the goal (Photo: ISL)
Chennai: No Elano, no problem. Despite losing their talismanic midfielder to an injury in the 15th minute, Chennaiyin got the better of FC Pune City 3-1 here on Wednesday to grab the lead in the Indian Super League. Chennaiyin showed aren’t a one-man team after all as they snapped a four-match draw sequence in some style in their impregnable fortress — the Nehru Stadium. The hosts deserved the result as they were the better as well as the hungrier team throughout.
With 16 points from nine matches, the Chennai club have taken a giant step towards the semifinals. Chennaiyin are ahead of Atletico de Kolkata on goals scored (17-12) as both teams have the same the same goal difference of five.It was a classic match of two halves. If the first was humdrum, the second turned out to be a humdinger. All four goals were scored after the break and the crowd got its money’s worth in the final 30 minutes of end-to-end action.
Marco Materazzi replaced a Brazilian with a Brazilian and Bruno Pelissari did Elano proud by scoring Chennaiyin’s second goal. Stiven Mendoza, who had opened the scoring for the home team, also came off injured later. Materazzi must be hoping that the result wouldn’t be a pyrrhic victory because defender Gouramangi Singh had also been substituted in the first half following a hamstring problem.
Maybe Materazzi’s pep talk or the intake of some magic potion helped Chennaiyin approach the second half with renewed vigour. Mendoza, who had been the best player in the absence of Elano, started a move from around 40 yards and arrived inside the box on cue to put the hosts ahead by the hour mark after touches from Dhanachandra Singh and Balwant Singh.
The Colombian chipped the ball over the prostrate Pune goalkeeper, Arindam Bhattacharya, from the left side and the stadium exploded in appreciation. Mendoza milked more applause with typical Chennai dance moves.The lead didn’t last 10 minutes as Cameroonian Eric Djemba-Djemba steered Davide Colomba’s left-wing cross into his own net. But Chennaiyin reclaimed the advantage in the next move thanks to a bit of samba magic. Pelissari hoodwinked the Pune defence before unleashing a fierce left-footer that nestled in the net after taking a deflection off Bruno Cirillo.The third arrived in added time after Balwant found Jeje Lalpekhlua with a reverse pass.
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