CFC coach Owen Coyle opted to start Debjit Majumder in goal, ahead of whom Ryan Edwards, Ankit Mukherjee, Ajith Kumar, and Bikash Yumnam put up a defensive barrier. The teams vied for possession in the midfield before anything of substance could come to pass. However, the issue was sorted out in a couple of minutes as the players snuck in a quick drink and got to hear the coach’s input in that window. CFC kept pushing forward in the hope of an equalizer and was awarded a free kick just beyond the half-hour mark in a mouthwatering position. The unanticipated stoppages in the first period of the game yielded 6 added minutes from the fourth official’s board before the referee could bring the half to a halt as Chennaiyin kept most of the ball trying to find inroads into the danger area. The effort ultimately did not manage to get past the defender. Meetei went on an adventurous run towards the goal as he slalomed with aplomb past the flatfooted defenders but couldn’t find a way in or a cross to swing in. With time running out and less than five minutes from the ninety, Chennaiyin found a way to draw level in the game as they capitalized on a defensive error. And it was the livewire Meetei, who put the finishing touches on the move to restore parity. The crowd came alive for nearly the first time on the night as chants of CFC boomed at the Marina Arena as the 6.5k odd people gathered at the ground celebrated the goal. The closing minutes of the game promised to be tense and lived up to the expectation as ill-tempered exchanges prevailed before Crivellaro played a delightful cross into the box along the ground which proved just a bit too fast for Barretto to get to in time as the EBFC camp breathed a sigh of relief. The game ended 1-1 as Chennaiyin and East Bengal shared the spoils with neither team managing to get the decisive goal within the stipulated ninety.
