Durand Cup 2022: Chennaiyin FC see off 10-men TRAU FC in 4-1 victory

Imphal (Manipur) [India], September 1 (ANI): Chennaiyin FC put in a winning shift against TRAU FC, as they emerged victorious in a 4-1 in their Group C fixture at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Thursday.
A lightning-fast strike from Petar Sliskovic (1′) earned him the accolades of being the fastest goalscorer in the tournament’s history, which then was followed by a penalty goal from Karikari (20′).
Nandakumar Singh’s men took a blow after Johnson was shown a red card yet they hit back with a goal from captain Komron, but it wasn’t enough as Vafa Hakhemaneshi (51′) added a third, with Sliskovic netting the fourth (55′) as the duo wrapped up the proceedings.
The Marina Machans opened the floodgates in the opening 15 seconds as Petar Sliskovic was fed a long ball at the start of kick-off that ended up with the Croatian comfortably finding the back of the net.
No more than 20 minutes on the clock, new signing Kwame Karikari doubled the lead for his side from the spot-kick after Petar Sliskovic was brought down inside the box.
Thomas Brdaric’s men kept creating chances but couldn’t find an output. With Sliskovic as their main man in the attack, crosses kept coming but the attacker just couldn’t get the ball past the net.
In the 36th minute, TRAU FC hit a bummer as they went down to 10 men after Salam Singh was sent off for dissent and disobedience against the referee, with the match official notwithstanding any nonsense and straight away handed the card.
Things took a U-turn for Thomas Brdaric’s men after Sajid Dhot made a blunder in their own half that led to a handball that further led to a penalty being given by the referee. Captain Komron sent the Chennaiyin FC keeper the wrong way to reduce the deficit to one goal.
Chennaiyin FC put in a fiery shift in the second half as they sought for more goals in their bag. A brilliant one-two between Rahim Ali and Petar Sliskovic had almost found its way to the goal but Haokip brilliantly saved the former’s shot.
The Marina Machans were quick to add to their goal tally with a third one after Vafa Hakhamaneshi found himself in a perfect position to fire in a header from an Anirudh Thapa corner to give his side a two-goal cushion in the 51st minute.
The left flank saw many white shirts getting forward, and in the 55th minute, Chennaiyin FC reaped returns after a flawless cross from the left wing fell to Sliskovic and the forward converted from a header and put his name on the scoresheet yet again to make it 4-1 for the side.
Minutes later, Thapa was through on goal, receiving a loose ball at the edge of the box, but the skipper’s shot was inches away from hitting the target.
There were a flush of chances created by Thomas Brdaric’s men but Haokip made top saves and blocked their access to the goal.
Chennaiyin FC are still in the competition and will play their final game against NEROCA FC on Monday in what will be a virtual knockout game to decide their quarterfinal qualification. (ANI)