ISL: Chennaiyin FC notch up first home win

Mendoza scored the winner for Chennaiyin FC. (Source: PTI)

Bernard Mendy and John Stiven Mendoza struck on either side of the break as Chennaiyin FC recorded their first win at home this ISL season by getting the better of FC Pune City 2-1 in a fifth round match, in Chennai on Saturday.

It was Mendy who opened the scoring for the hosts with a header in the 33rd minute. Mendoza doubled the lead in the 48th. Kalu Uche (74) reduced the margin for the visitors.

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Manuele Blasi went into the book in the very second minute for a foul on Zokora. Five minutes later, Elano almost latched onto a poor back-pass by Gouramangi Singh but Simonsen beat him to the ball.

Five minutes later, quick feet by Zokora found Yendrick Ruiz, whose shot from twenty five yards just fizzed past the woodwork.

Jayesh Rane’s cross from the left found Elano whose shot was saved by Simonsen, and with the keeper grounded, Thoi could only put the rebound wide.

Just before the half hour mark, Mailson sent Mendoza through on a one-on-one but Simonsen was up to it again as he denied the Colombian from close range.

The sanctity of Simonsen’s goal was finally breached in the 34th minute when a pinpoint long throw from Dhanachandra Singh found Mendy who did well to get past Shorey and made no mistake to nudge it in to send the crowd berserk.

A foul by Thoi in the forty third minute led to a Pune City free-kick. Shorey’s delivery from the left saw Johnson head it over after Karanjit came off his line to clear the danger.

In the first of the two added minutes, local lad Ravanan came very close to equalizing for the Punekars, but his shot was palmed away by Karanjit.

The teams went into half time with Chennaiyin FC taking a one-goal lead.

Pune had an opportunity at the start of the second half when Ruiz played the ball through to Sanli who caught Mendy and Mailson unaware but his scuffed shot went wide.

Colombian livewire Mendoza doubled the lead in the 48th minute, racing on to an Elano through ball, rounding Simonsen and finishing with aplomb.

Pune pulled one back in the 74th minute when a probing cross from Ravanan found the head of Uche, but Karanjit pulled off an incredible reaction save to deny the Nigerian. The rebound fell for Lyngdoh, the swing of whose foot missed the ball completely, with the empty goal beckoning. But Uche was on hand to make amends.