Chennaiyin FC were held to a 2-2 draw by a spirited SC East Bengal side in Match 39 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Saturday. SC East Bengal midfielder Matti Steinmann scored twice to help his side to the draw after the Marina Machans took the lead twice courtesy of goals from Lallianzuala Chhangte and Rahim Ali. 

• Lallianzuala Chhangte scored his first goal of the season when he opened the scoring for Chennaiyin FC in the 13th minute.
• SC East Bengal levelled the score in the 59th minute after Matti Steinmann headed in a corner for his team.
• Rahim Ali restored the lead for Chennaiyin FC in the 64th minute
• Matti Steinmann poked in his second goal of the night in the 68th minute to make it 2-2.

Chennaiyin landed the first blow of the match after Chhangte opened the scoring for his side in the 13th minute. Jakub Sylvestr played a through ball to the speedy winger, who charged into the opposition box and slotted the ball into the net to give his side an early lead.

The Marina Machans dominated the proceedings in the opening half hour and chances were few and far between for SC East Bengal. One of these chances came in the 29th minute after Jacques Maghoma collected a long ball on his chest. His first touch wasn’t good and the ball was caught by Chennaiyin goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.

Mohammed Rafique missed a glorious opportunity to equalise for SC East Bengal in the 37th minute. The midfielder beautifully controlled a long ball on his chest and rounded the goalkeeper. However, Rafique was stopped by Deepak Tangri who tracked back and kicked the ball out of play to deny the India international.

Chennaiyin continued their attacking forays in the second half but could not make their chances count. At the other end, SC East Bengal skipper Daniel Fox also came close to scoring the equaliser for his team but his shot was blocked out for a corner.

The club from Kolkata converted the following corner to draw level with Chennaiyin FC. Steinmann scored the equaliser for his side after Bikash Jairu floated in a corner which was headed into the left side of the Chennaiyin goal by the German in the 59th minute.

However, the Marina Machans didn’t take long to get back into the ascendancy. Sylvestr assisted his second goal of the game after receiving the ball at the edge of the SC East Bengal box and playing it to Rahim Ali. The young striker beautifully finished the move in the 64th minute to give his side the lead.

Sylvestr then had a clear shot on goal but the striker was denied by Debjit Majumder. A few minutes later, Chennaiyin defender Enes Sipovic headed the ball towards the goal but was denied by the crossbar.

Minutes after Chennaiyin’s second goal, Steinmann scored the all-important equalising goal for SC East Bengal. A corner from Jairu was headed to goal by Fox and saved by Kaith. Steinmann however was quick to poke the loose ball into the net to level the score for Robbie Fowler’s team.

Sylvestr missed another chance for the Marina Machans in the 76th minute. Rafael Crivellaro played a brilliant long ball to Chhangte who passed it to the Slovakian forward, but the following shot was parried away by Majumder.

SC East Bengal substitute Milan Singh almost gifted the winner to Chennaiyin after his back pass to Scott Neville fell short and was collected by Sylvestr. However, the Chennaiyin striker pulled his shot slightly wide of the far post.

Chennaiyin created a plethora of goal-scoring chances but were unable to take the lead for a third time in the match. The club from Kolkata also came close to scoring the winner themselves in injury time but Maghoma’s chance was cleared by the opposition goalkeeper as Robbie Fowler’s side remained winless in Hero ISL 2020-21.

Hero of the Match: Matti Steinmann

Steinmann scored two equalising goals for SC East Bengal as they secured a 2-2 draw against Chennaiyin FC. The 25-year-old midfielder created two goal-scoring chances as well and scored with both his shots on target. Defensively, he had two successful tackles and three blocks on the night.

Other Match awards:

Club Award: SC East Bengal and Chennaiyin FC

DHL Winning Pass of the Match: Jakub Sylvestr (Chennaiyin FC)

Watch the Match Highlights here: