We are back on track with win, says Brdaric

CHENNAI: Head coach Thomas Brdaric was pleased that Chennaiyin FC returned to winning ways in the Indian Super League 2022-23 with a 1-0 victory over East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday.

Central defender Vafa Hakhamaneshi came up with a game-clinching headed goal in the second half for Chennaiyin, which had been on a two-match winless run. “Yes, we are back on track with this hard fought performance. I am happy for the players and the fans. Getting three points here (Kolkata) will help us in the upcoming matches. I am pretty satisfied with the performance,” said Brdaric in the post-match press conference.

“The result will boost our confidence; it (performance) shows the character that this team has and the mentality it possesses,” added the German manager.

These things happen: Coach on Vafa’s red card

Soon after netting the winning goal in the 69th minute, Iranian centre-back Vafa was sent off with a second yellow card, reducing CFC to 10 men for the last 20-odd minutes.

Talking about Vafa’s booming header and the red card that followed, Brdaric said: “These kinds of things happen. We concentrated on the match for the entire 90 minutes and used the momentum to kill the opponent with the goal. It was a nice goal. [From a corner], Aakash Sangwan found Vafa, who finished well. Unfortunately, he will miss the next match.”

First clean sheet of ISL season

After shipping in four goals in its first three matches, Chennaiyin kept its first clean sheet of ISL Season 9 on Friday. “It looks good. In the last couple of matches (against Bengaluru FC and FC Goa), we conceded early goals, which decided the outcome of the games. But, tonight (Friday), we had a little bit of luck after going ahead in the second half,” said Brdaric.

CFC, which has seven points from four matches, will next face Mumbai City FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on November 12 (Saturday).