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Chennaiyin FC U-18s make it four wins out of five in U-18 Youth League

The Chennaiyin FC U-18 team ahead of their U-18 Youth League match. (Photo courtesy: Chennaiyin FC)
The Chennaiyin FC U-18 team ahead of their U-18 Youth League match. Photo courtesy: Chennaiyin FC

The Chennaiyin FC U-18 team beat Chennai City FC 4-2 to make it four wins out of five in the AIFF U-18 Youth League at the SSN College Ground here today. The CFC U-18s completed the double over their opponents in the process, having defeated them 3-2 in the corresponding fixture three days back.

Goals from Vijay Thangavel and Hendry Antonay gave CFC a first-half lead, only for CCFC to draw level with goals on either side of half time. However CFC’s Prasanna Kumar and Aman Chetri had different ideas in the second-half, the latter scoring his seventh goal of this campaign to round off a 4-2 win.

Chennaiyin made four changes to the starting lineup from the 3-2 win over CCFC on Saturday. Prathamesh Honavarkar replaced Lourdhu Divyanathan in goal as Selvaniranjan and Paarvin Raj came into the defence for the suspended duo of CFC skipper Saurabh Meher and Mohammed Sarif Khan. And Sathish Kumar replaced Yunus Shaikh in midfield.

CFC took an early lead through Vijay Thangavel, the Bengaluru boy scoring in the fifth minute. Chennaiyin dominated proceedings for majority of the first period, doubling their lead at the half-hour mark through a well-taken free-kick by stand-in skipper Hendry Antonay from 30 yards out.

Chennai City FC weren’t ready to give up though and found a way back into the match courtesy goals from Syed Taha and Vineeth Kumar to make it 2-2.

However CFC’s U-18 boys proved too good for the CCFC boys after the interval, retaking the lead through substitute Prasanna Kumar. It was the second game in a row he had came off the bench to find the back of the net, also against the same opposition.

Forward Aman Chetri then restored CFC’s two-goal cushion in the 79th minute, as the hosts then saw the game out to complete the double over CCFC. This win sees CFC extend their lead at the top of the Chennai zone to 13 points from five games, five points ahead of CCFC in second place who have played a game more.

The CFC U-18s’ next encounter will be against Football Plus in an away fixture on Tuesday 27th November 2018 at the Chettinad Sarvaloka Education School Ground.

(Chennaiyin FC)