Heartbreak for Chennaiyin despite beating Marshyangdi of Nepal 3-2

Kathmandu: Chennaiyin FC scored a last-gasp goal to beat Manang Marshyangdi Club of Nepal 3-2 in their final group match but fell short of clinching a maiden knock-out berth in the AFC Cup here on Wednesday.

The win at the ANFA Complex was not enough for Chennaiyin to progress to the Inter-Zone Semifinals, as Bangladesh's Abahani Limited Dhaka clinched top spot after beating Minerva Punjab 1-0 in the other Group E tie in Guwahati. The Chennai-based side's fate was not solely in their hands and they were hoping for either a win or a draw for Minerva against Abahani to book a knock-out berth but the Dhaka side scored an injury time goal to notch up a 1-0 win and break Chennaiyin hearts.

Chennaiyin finished second in the group with 11 points from six matches while Abahani ended on top with 13 points to advance to the knock-out stage. On same points, Chenniyin would have gone through as they have a better head-head record against Abahani. Only the group winners qualify to the Inter-Zone Semi-finals.

For Chennaiyin, Mohammed Rafi struck an 88th minute winner after the two sides were locked 2-2. Needing a win, Chennaiyin started aggressively with Rafi testing the Manang defence with a cross into the box in the first minute but there was no teammate to receive the ball.