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A late goal from Daniel Chima Chukwu was not enough as Chennaiyin went down to a narrow 1-2 defeat against Inter Kashi in their latest Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.
Miranda's starting XI saw the return of forward Inigo Martin, with the Spaniard leading the attacking line alongside Farukh Choudhary, Imran Khan, and Irfan Yadwad. Eduardo Kau slotted back into the defence after deputising in midfield for the injured Mohammed Ali Bemammer in the previous match, while Bemammer, back in the eleven, patrolled the centre of the pitch alongside skipper Alberto Noguera, as per a press release. Chennaiyin settled into the contest with early intent, as Vignesh D and Bemammer tried their luck from distance. The Marina Machans continued to probe, with Martin at the heart of their attacking play. The Spaniard slipped Farukh Choudhary through with a delicate pass, but the forward's heavy touch allowed the defence to recover. Minutes later, Martin cut in from the flank and fizzed one narrowly wide of the far post. CFC's attacking patterns grew more fluid as the half progressed, with neat rotations and quick interchanges troubling the Inter Kashi backline. A well-worked move saw Martin drop deep and switch play to Irfan, who combined with Farukh to release Vignesh, but his cross was just overhit. Noguera then attempted to thread a precise ball into Martin's run, only to be denied by a last-ditch interception. At the other end, Mohammad Nawaz produced a stunning save just before the break, with Imran clearing the rebound off the line to preserve parity. The second half, however, saw a shift in momentum as Inter Kashi struck early. Alfred Planas opened the scoring with a long-range effort soon after the restart, before doubling the advantage minutes later by sneaking in behind the defence to finish from close range. Chennaiyin responded by pushing forward, with Farukh testing the goalkeeper from distance as they looked for a foothold in the game. Miranda's changes injected fresh energy, with Mandar Rao Dessai nearly carving out an opening after being played through by Pritam Kotal, while Maheson Singh saw a powerful volley blocked, and Noguera's header from the resulting corner was saved. Chennaiyin continued to search for a way back, increasingly adopting a direct approach in the closing stages, and were rewarded for the sustained pressure in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Chima fired a volley past the goalkeeper from close range for his first goal of the season. However, it proved too little too late. The Marina Machans will look to bounce back when they face East Bengal in the league on Saturday, April 11. (ANI)
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