Chennayin FC got their first win of the Indian Super League season against FC Goa in what was a rematch of last season's final. Midfielder Hans Mulder's excellent strike in the 15th minute and acting skipper Mehrajuddin Wadoo's deflected strike 10 minutes later was enough to hand the defending champions three points.
Marco Matterazzi made as many as five changes to their starting lineup, which included dropping out-of-form skipper Bernard Mendy, and the decisions paid off.
The home side drove forward with purpose and the passing was slick between the players. The side deservedly went ahead through a sweetly taken shot from outside the area from Mulder. The placement of the shot was perfect, beating Laxmikant Kattimani's full length dive to his left.
The goal seemed to have broken Goa's resolve and they conceded a second with Wadoo's shot taking a wicked deflection, leaving Kattimani flat-footed and little chance to get his hands on the ball.
Just when it looked like Chennai would add to their goal tally, Zico's side came out and played with good intensity on the other side of the break. The Chennai defence had to deal with several uncomfortable questions from the Goan attackers, but a lack of finesse in front of goal let them down.
Five minutes after the break, Rafael Coelho found space on the right but his shot only hit the side netting. John Arne Riise and co. survived a tough 15-minute spell of attacks from the Goans but Chennai found their way back.
Raphael Augusto, who was easily his side's best player, ran the show from the centre of the park. However, It was Chennai's work-rate off the ball that won the match for them.
Brief scores:
Chennayin FC 2 (Hans Mulder, Mehrajuddin Wadoo) beat FC Goa 0