Kolkata: Two first-half goals, and another late in the night, were enough as Chennaiyin FC beat East Bengal FC 3-0 on Saturday on what was a memorable night for head coach Owen Coyle and playmaker Connor Shields, as both reached personal milestones in the Indian Super League (ISL).
A Nishu Kumar own-goal gave Chennaiyin the lead in the 13th minute before Wilmar Jordan Gil doubled it eight minutes later (‘21) with his ninth of the campaign. Daniel Chima Chukwu added a third in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time after Lalchungnunga was sent off for the hosts.
By the touchline, Coyle watched over his 100th ISL match, becoming the first non-Spaniard and Chennaiyin FC head coach to hit that mark. The tactician had made several changes to his first eleven from the previous match, bringing in Jiteshwor Singh to partner Lalrinliana Hnamte in midfield and reinstating Vignesh Dakshinamurthy at left-back following his return from injury.
It was one of Chennaiyin stalwarts, however, whose moment of genius broke the deadlock in the 13th minute. Racing beyond the goalkeeper after latching onto a Jordan Gil pass, Shields, dangerous as usual, smartly flicked the ball into the danger zone with his heel; an unsuspecting Nishu, in an attempt to clear it, ended up flicking it into his own net. IANS
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