Back in front of the home crowd, Chennaiyin FC delivered an assured and enterprising performance to hold FC Goa to a 1-1 draw in the Indian Super League 2026.
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CHENNAI — Back in front of the home crowd, Chennaiyin FC delivered an assured and enterprising performance to hold FC Goa to a 1-1 draw in the Indian Super League 2026, earning a deserved point in their first home outing of the campaign on Sunday.
Head coach Clifford Rayes Miranda handed Eduardo Kau his first start of the season in place of the injured Mohammed Ali Bemammer, while Maheson Singh and Daniel Chima Chukwu were also drafted into the XI. The Marina Machans had to stay alert early on, with goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz producing a sharp low stop in the eighth minute, before Laldinliana Renthlei followed it up with solid defending to snuff out danger.
CFC soon settled into a rhythm and began to threaten. A flowing move in the 11th minute saw Imran Khan find Chima, whose deft flick set up Maheson, only for his first-time effort to cannon off the outside of the post. Farukh Choudhary then tested the goalkeeper with a curling strike from range, as Chennaiyin grew into the contest.
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An early setback followed when Chima was forced off through injury, with Irfan Yadwad coming on and making an immediate impact. The forward linked up well, won a corner, and later forced a save with a sharp effort, while Maheson continued to deliver dangerous balls into the area. At the other end, Nawaz remained composed, making a couple of routine stops to ensure the sides went into the break on level terms.
Chennaiyin carried that momentum into the second half and were rewarded soon after the restart. In the 48th minute, Irfan capitalised on a defensive error, kept his composure, and slotted home to give the Marina Machans a deserved lead, before continuing to trouble the Goa defence and win a corner as CFC looked to build on their advantage.
Chennaiyin continued to press for a second, with Farukh Choudhary pouncing on a loose ball in the 82nd minute, only to see his effort blocked at close range. At the other end, Kau produced a crucial intervention to preserve the lead, while Nawaz remained commanding in his area, claiming crosses with authority as the hosts braced for a late push from Goa.
However, the visitors found a way back in the 88th minute. Nawaz initially did well to deny Dejan Drazic with a strong save, but Sandesh Jhingan rose highest to head home from the resulting corner and level the score at 1-1. Chennaiyin pushed again in stoppage time, with Alberto Noguera going down under a heavy challenge inside the box, only for the referee to award a corner, before Nawaz produced a sharp save with his foot moments later to keep things even.
Chennaiyin FC will next be in action against ISL debutants Inter Kashi on April 7.