Chennaiyin FC lost to Mohun Bagan Super Giants 3-1 in their third game of the Indian Super League 2023-24 season.
Chennaiyin came into their third game of the season having lost the first two and in search of their first points of the season.
Mohun Bagan Super Giants had won their first two games of the season and were looking to solidify their place at the top of the table.
The game started with Chennaiyin trying to get an early goal. Ninthoi missed a good opportunity in the fourth minute.
Anwar Ali took a good shot from outside the box in the ninth minute but missed the target. Corner Shields found himself with space in the 12th minute, but his shot went wide of the goal.
Sahal Abdul Samad came close to scoring in the 18th minute, but his attempt went over the side.
Mohun Bagan Super Giants took the lead in the 22nd minute when Dimitrios Petratos scored from a header off a Sahal Abdul Samad cross.
Sahal had a good shot on target in the 34th minute but it was saved by Samik Mitra. Jason Cummings scored in the 45th minute after he latched onto a loose ball from a Chennaiyin FC backpass and slotted it past an onrushing Samik Mitra.
The scoreboard at halftime read 2-0 in favor of the visitors. Chennaiyin FC made three changes at halftime with the likes of Crivellaro, Jiteshwor, and Ankit coming into the game.
The Marina Machans tried hard to get a goal in the early moments of the second half but failed to do so.
Rafael Crivellaro scored from a free kick in the 55th minute to reduce the deficit for Owen Coyle's side. Chennaiyin FC, though, conceded in the next minute again as Manvir Singh finished off a Sahal Abdul Samad pass in the 56th minute to make it 3-1 for the Mariners.
Neither side managed to change the scoreboard further as both teams wasted the chances that came their way. The scoreboard at full-time read 3-1 in favor of the visitors.
On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings for the Marina Machans
Chennaiyin FC Player Ratings
Samik Mitra (6.5): The scoreline suggests a big defeat for Chennaiyin FC and it was just that, but had Samik not made some fine saves, the scoreline would have been even greater.
Aakash Sangwan (5.5): Aakash made some crucial blocks and also created a good chance. But overall, he had a troubled time dealing with the Mariners' wingers.
R. Edwards (5): Edwards had a torrid time dealing with Mohun Bagan Super Giants strikers. He tried his best to contain them, but wasn't so successful.
L. Cirkovic (4.5): Cirkovic was poor today as he failed to deal with Petratos and Cummings. He was substituted at halftime.
Bikash Yumnam (5): Bikash tried hard during the game and made some good blocks. He also got booked in the second half for a rash tackle.
Ayush Adhikari (5): Ayush tried hard during the game but wasn't able to contain the likes of Boumous and Sahal. He also failed to dictate the tempo of the game.
C. Battocchio (6): Battocchio worked very hard during the game and covered a lot of ground. He wasn't able to help his side in attack much.
Farukh Choudhary (5): Farukh had a poor game as he wasn't able to do much. His dribbles were easily dealt with by the Mariners' defense.
Connor Shields (5.5): Connor worked hard and tried to create space for himself. He missed a chance in the first half as his shot went wide of the post.
Ninthoi Meitei (5): Ninthoi had the first good chance of the game, but he skied his shot wide of the target. Apart from that, he had a quiet game.
Rahim Ali (5): Rahim Ali wasn't very effective for Chennaiyin FC. He got a chance early in the second half but failed to keep his shot on target.
Substitutes
Rafael Crivellaro (7): Rafael Crivellaro looked to be the only bright spark for Chennaiyin FC. He scored from a free kick in the 55th minute.
Ankit Mukherjee (5): Ankit came on in the second half. He couldn't impact the game much.
Jiteshwor Singh (5.5): Jiteshwor was introduced at the start of the second half. He tried hard but wasn't able to control the midfield today.
Vincy Barreto (5): Vincy came on in the second half, replacing Farukh. He didn't have a positive impact on the game.
Alexander Jesuraj (5): Jesuraj replaced Battocchio late in the second half. He wasn't able to do anything positive for his side.