Chennai, April 7 – A late goal by Daniel Chima Chukwu wasn't enough as Chennaiyin suffered a narrow defeat against Inter Kashi in their latest Indian Super League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.
Miranda’s starting XI featured the return of forward Inigo Martin, who led the attacking line alongside Farukh Choudhary, Imran Khan, and Irfan Yadwad. Eduardo Kau returned to the defence after playing in midfield for the injured Mohammed Ali Bemammer in the previous match, while Bemammer, back in the eleven, patrolled the center of the pitch alongside captain Alberto Noguera.
Chennaiyin started the match with intent, as Vignesh D and Bemammer tried their luck from distance. The Marina Machans continued to probe, with Martin at the heart of their attacking play. Martin passed to Farukh Choudhary, but the forward's touch allowed the defence to recover. Minutes later, Martin cut in from the flank and narrowly missed the far post.
CFC's attacking patterns became more fluid as the half progressed, with neat rotations and quick interchanges troubling the Inter Kashi backline. A well-worked move saw Martin drop deep and switch play to Irfan, who combined with Farukh to release Vignesh, but his cross was just overhit. Noguera then attempted to thread a precise ball into Martin's run, only to be denied by a last-ditch interception. At the other end, Mohammad Nawaz produced a stunning save just before the break, with Imran clearing the rebound off the line to preserve parity.
However, the second half saw a shift in momentum as Inter Kashi struck early. Alfred Planas opened the scoring with a long-range effort soon after the restart, before doubling the advantage minutes later by sneaking behind the defence to finish from close range. Chennaiyin responded by pushing forward, with Farukh testing the goalkeeper from distance as they looked for a foothold in the game.
Miranda's changes injected fresh energy, with Mandar Rao Dessai nearly carving out an opening after being played through by Pritam Kotal, while Maheson Singh saw a powerful volley blocked, and Noguera’s header from the resulting corner was saved. Chennaiyin continued to search for a way back, increasingly adopting a direct approach in the closing stages, and were rewarded for the sustained pressure in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Chima fired a volley past the goalkeeper from close range for his first goal of the season. However, it proved too little too late.
The Marina Machans will look to bounce back when they face East Bengal in the league on Saturday.