Chennaiyin FC clinched their second Indian Super League title yesterdayafter beating debutants Bengaluru FC 3-2 in a mouthwatering final clash.Goals from Brazilians Mailson Alves and Raphael Augusto gave Chennaiyin FC their second ISL trophy after winning in 2015.Bengaluru FC started in spectacular fashion when skipper Sunil Chhetriled with 1-0 in the eighth minute, creating a new record by scoring thefastest goal in an ISL final.Chhetri nodded in a cross from Udanta Singh past Chennaiyin FCgoalkeeper Karanjit Singh in front of home fans at the packed SreeKanteerava Stadium in southern Bengaluru city.But minutes later Chennaiyin FC defender Alves pulled one back as he nodded in a corner.A hush fell on the home crowd in blue when Alves delivered another deft header from a corner kick before the half-time break.Midfielder Augusto scored in the 67th minute to cap off the game. “Yes, Igot lucky two times in a row. It’s difficult but fortunately, with myteammates everything is possible and this year, we were amazing all thisseason and I think we deserve that. All the guys they are amazing andwe’re very happy,” said Chennai skipper Henrique Sereno.“This year we knew that our strength is from the defence and we showed (that) in the games and in the final too.”Chennaiyin FC is now on par with Atletico de Kolkata as the mostsuccessful with two wins each in the tournament. Bengaluru FC haveenjoyed a dream run since switching from the rival I-League, winning 13of their 18 matches under the stewardship of former Barcelona defenderAlbert Roca.The Spaniard, who joined the south Indian club as coach in 2016, wasdisappointed with Saturday’s outcome but hopeful for a quick revival. “Iam for sure really sad because we would have liked to give that trophy,that win to our fans that they deserve,” Roca said.
March 18, 2018 | 12:41 AM