Dynamos edge Chennaiyin 1-0 in first home match

Delhi Dynamos rebounded from their opening match failure to notch up the first victory of their Indian Super League (ISL) campaign in a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC here on Thursday.

Dynamos lead 1-0 at the breather in front of a disappointing crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium. Defender Anderson Cardoso netted the match-winning goal from a penalty in the eighth minute. Dynamos lost their first match of the tournament away against FC Goa 0-2 while Chennaiyin were beaten 2-3 at home by title holders Atletico de Kolkata. The home team now has three points from two matches while their opponents are yet to get a point after two defeats.

Dynamos identified the need to get a quick start in their first home match and began in right earnest. They plotted their attacks predominantly from the left side where their nippy Brazilian Gustavo Dos Santos, one of the few positives in their otherwise disappointing inaugural campaign last year, was lively. He danced his way to the left byline after evading couple of defenders and created the first goal in the eighth minute.

His cut-back pass initially found no one inside the box, but was met with a strong shot by an advancing Hans Mulder whose shot was blocked by Manuele Blasi. Referee Tejas Nagvenkar promptly directed to the spot from where Cardoso scored. The goal settled Dynamos’ nerves and helped them to take control of the action.

They could have doubled their lead on 31 minutes had Ghanaian forward Richard Gadze’s forceful shot, after beating three defenders on the run, not saved by goalkeeper Edel Bete Apoula, diving to his left on the near post.

But just when it looked the home team, would build on from the initial ascendancy, Chennaiyin reminded them of staying true at the back, three minutes later. A momentary lapse of concentration by defender Anas Edathodika, who lost control of the ball, just outside the penalty area, allowed Colombian forward Steven Mendoza to unleash a left-footer that thundered off the cross bar, in what was a big relief for the hosts.