Chennaiyin yet to secure 3 points at home as they draw 1-1 against Mumbai

CHENNAI: After six consecutive losses against Mumbai City FC, Chennaiyin FC finally managed to salvage a 1-1 draw in the landmark 1000th Indian Super League (ISL) game at the Marina Arena on Saturday.

Skipper Ryan Edwards put the Marina Machans, who are still in search of their first home win, in the lead, but 20-year-old Nathan Rodrigues levelled the score for the visitors with a towering header.

In the early minutes, Mumbai threatened from both flanks, with Bipin Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte making promising runs. The first real opportunity of the evening, however, fell to Vincy Barretto, who was played in on the right by Connor Shields, but his shot was saved by Phurba Lachenpa.

Minutes later, Ryan Edwards found himself behind Valpuia at the far post after Irfan Yadwad won a free-kick in a challenge with Mehtab Singh.

Brandon Fernandes appeared unsettled in the early stages, and a misplaced pass from him in midfield gifted possession to Wilmar Jordan. Jordan attempted to play it through to Shields, who was making a run inside the box, but the ever-resilient Tiri was there to clear the danger.

Minutes later, former Chennaiyin midfielder Chhangte found Niko Karelis with a beautiful chip from the centre, but the Greek international lobbed his shot over the crossbar.

There were moments when Chennaiyin’s defence was caught ball-watching, nearly conceding when they allowed Valpuia to cut through, but he couldn’t keep his shot on target.

Lachenpa made a fingertip save on a header from Jordan right after the water break, following a beautiful cross from Connor down the right. Just before half-time, Mehtab Singh received a yellow card for a sliding tackle on Connor, halting a quick counter-attack from the hosts.

At the stroke of the hour, Ryan Edwards slotted the ball home from Connor’s free-kick to break the deadlock. However, the lead didn’t last long, and the home crowd was silenced soon after as Nathan Rodrigues, who scored for the visitors in their previous match, rose highest to nod in the equaliser.

Dinpuia picked up a yellow card in the second half and is set to be suspended for the upcoming match against Kerala Blasters. The club will hope for Ankit Mukherjee to recover in time to fill the gap.

Chennaiyin brought on Lukas Brambilla, who combined well with Gurkirat Singh in the latter stages. Substitute Chima Chukwu attempted a scissor kick in stoppage time, but couldn’t connect cleanly, allowing the ball to fall kindly in to Lachenpa’s hands.

At the other end, Franklin Nazareth nearly sealed the game for Mumbai with a sliding attempt in front of the goal off a pass from Nathan, but the former couldn’t make the connection, and the game ended with both the teams sharing the spoils.