ISL: Chennaiyin FC hold Mohun Bagan Super Giant to goalless draw

The big team news from the Marina Arena was the inclusion of experienced defender Pritam Kotal as the right-back from the start, following his arrival from Kerala Blasters FC last week.

Returning captain Ryan Edwards joined Kotal in the backline, while Vignesh Dakshinamurthy made his first start of the season at left-back.

Chennaiyin kicked things off with intent when Wilmar Jordan Gil, with barely a minute on the clock, wrestled the ball away from a defender high up the pitch, before testing the goalkeeper with a close-range effort. Minutes later, at the other end, Mohammad Nawaz got down sharply to thwart a long-range shot from Deepak Tangri, keeping his clean sheet intact.

With the Marina Machans knocking the ball about the park, trying to fashion openings in the Mariners' backline, debutant Kotal looked right at home in his new colours, defending with composure while contributing to the build-up with sharp passes into the midfielders.

Vignesh, too, made the most of his first start and came agonisingly close to providing an assist in the 18th minute, when his outstanding long, curling pass nearly found Jordan Gil on the move behind the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defence. Vishal Kaith, however, got to the ball first to suffocate the attack.

Twenty-one minutes in, Kiyan Nassiri, back in the team, caught the defender in possession on the right flank, before feeding the ball to Jordan Gil. The Colombian forward cut inside onto his left foot but saw his effort on target blocked by a lunging challenge.

With head coach Owen Coyle watching intently from the stands, the seasoned forward carved out the best chance of the match for himself in the 36th minute, bringing down Connor Shields' cross with a deft touch despite a horde of bodies around him. His subsequent shot bounced off the upright, denying Chennaiyin a much-deserved opening goal.

As the two teams attempted to get the upper hand after the break, the game became a battle of wills. The clearest opportunity of the second period fell to the head of the returning Edwards in the 89th minute, who failed to guide a Shields cross onto the target from a set-piece situation. With only seconds remaining, Nawaz stretched out a strong palm to deflect a dangerous Manvir Singh cross to safety.

With another point in the bag, Chennaiyin will head to Fatorda for their next ISL 2024-25 fixture against FC Goa on Saturday, January 25. (ANI)