Abhishek Bachchan, co-owner of Chennaiyin FC, was gasping for breath after his club’s thrilling 3-2 win over hosts Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League final on Saturday. He gathered himself to tell an over-ager TV reporter that he was “happy and proud” of Chennaiyin. Not only Abhishek, every fan of the ISL club could feel proud about the triumph because it came against heavy odds.
Bengaluru FC, the runaway leaders at the end of the league stage, were the best team of the competition by a country mile. To beat them in front of their vociferous fans in the final needed something out of the ordinary. Chennaiyin exceeded the expectations of even their most ardent fans with a display that was full of passion and determination. Abhishek said he had implored the team before the match to show desire and belief on the field and his players overwhelmed him with a gutsy performance from start to finish.
Conceding an early goal never perturbed Chennaiyin as they mounted a stirring comeback. Without a doubt, Brazilian centre-back Mailson Alves was the hero of the night. He headed in Gregory Nelson’s left-side corner for the equaliser before securing the lead with another header off a right-side corner from the same player. That the lead came on stroke of half-time saw the home team dispirited.
Right-back Inigo Calderon was inspirational throughout. He made two critical saves to prevent certain goals. The Spaniard was there whenever Chennaiyin needed him. Raphael Augusto, a rage among CFC fans for his bag of tricks, put the icing on the cake with a delightful goal by the hour mark to make it 3-1. The Brazilian did his country’s reputation no harm with a beautiful curler that eluded the desperate dive of the BFC goalkeeper, Gurpreet Sandhu. The goal killed Bengaluru, although they managed to pull one back right at the death.
The victory was a reward for Chennaiyin’s collective work. That their 31 goals were scored by as many as 11 players was testament to their strength in depth. Unlike other teams, Indians led the scoring for Chennaiyin by supplying 16 goals with Jeje Lalpekhlua being the top-scorer with nine.
The amiable CFC manager John Gregory became the first Englishman to win the ISL title. In fact, it was his maiden title in almost three decades of management. “I would be happy to remain the only Englishman with an ISL title after 20 years,” he quipped. Gregory lauded the support of Abhishek and Vita Dani, another co-owner of Chennaiyin FC, for the freedom he enjoyed at the helm. “They leave me alone. I have never been questioned. I know other clubs where owners have come in at half-time to criticise the players,” he said.
Chennaiyin goalkeeper Karanjit Singh, one of the stars of the victorious team, jumped on Abhishek’s back for a joyride. The Bollywood actor didn’t mind carrying the goalie who had carried CFC to a memorable title with his stellar show between the sticks.
