Chennaiyin FC and Punjab FC played out on a thrilling 1-1 draw in a Group C encounter of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 on Thursday (January 11) at the Kalinga Stadium.
Following the draw, Chennaiyin FC are placed second in the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 Group C standings. Meanwhile, their Indian Super League counterparts Punjab FC find themselves third in the points table. Both teams have one point in their kitty.
Mumbai City FC continue to hold the first position in the points table, while Gokulam Kerala FC are placed at the bottom of the standings after one match each.
Chennaiyin FC's late comeback helps them split points against Punjab FC
Punjab FC opened the scoring early in the game as Jordan tapped the ball into the net following a pass from Madih Talal. They took an early 1-0 lead in the game against the Marina Machans.
Chennaiyin FC received several chances during the first half but all their opportunities were denied by Punjab FC's defenders, keeping the former side on the backfoot.
The Shers received a major setback when midfielder Amarjit Singh Kiyam was sent off by the referee for a foul on winger Ninthoinganba Meetei. Punjab FC were down to 10 men.
Owen Coyle was forced to make an early change as Meetei couldn't take any further part in the game. He was replaced by Rahim Ali, while Vincy Barretto also was called on to replace Farukh Choudhary.
The Chennai-based franchise faced another setback when Brazilian attacking midfielder Rafael Crivellaro was shown his second yellow card. He had to leave the field and Chennaiyin FC were also down to 10 men.
In the 81st minute, Connor Shields played a cross into the box to find Jordan Murray, who headed the ball into the net. A combined effort saw Chennaiyin FC level scores and split points with their opponents.