Defensive errors were at the forefront as Chennaiyin FC fell to a 1-2 loss against Inter Kashi in their Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.
Coming off three consecutive losses, Kashi snapped back and proved critical when it mattered as Alfred Planas grabbed a brace early in the second half while Daniel Chima Chukwu scored a consolation goal in stoppage time for CFC.
With a loss sure to deepen the worries of relegation, both sides began the game on a cautious note, with CFC maintaining long but fruitless spells of possession. On the other hand, despite CFC head coach Clifford Miranda predicting his counterpart, Antonio Lopez Habas, to be direct, the Spaniard’s players appeared satisfied sitting back and letting the game come to them.
CFC vs IKFC – As it happened
Mohammed Ali Bemammer’s return to the starting 11 after being out injured in the previous match aided CFC as he combined with skipper Alberto Noguera to continuously win possession in the middle of the park. However, the duo’s periodical long balls over the top went largely unattended by his forward line.
CFC’s frontmen Farukh Choudhary and Ingio Martinez were mere spectators in the first 45, apart from attempting a couple of long-range strikes that carried no real threat.
For all of CFC’s possession, it was Kashi that registered the first shot on target in the first minute of the first half added time, after Sergio Llamas whipped in a corner. CFC’s defence, which had been solid until then, failed to clear away the ball, allowing Wayne Vaz to poke the ball from close range. CFC custodian Mohammad Nawaz went down quickly to his right to scoop the ball away only as far as Rohit Danu, whose chip back into the middle was heroically cleared off the line by Imran Khan.
It was warning sign as the visitor managed to break the deadlock before the spectators could return to their seats after the interval. Less than a minute after the restart, Danu won the ball deep in CFC’s half and played it into the middle from the left. Llamas’ poor first touch seemed to have given CFC some reprieve, but Bemmamer failed to clear his lines as the ball fell to Planas, who produced a gorgeous sidefoot volley on the edge of the area to send the ball past a diving Nawaz.
Smelling blood, Kashi continued to keep its foot on the pedal, and eight minutes later, it was leading by two. Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, who received his first start of the season, kicked the air while attempting a standard clearance, handing the ball on a plate to Ashish Jha. The winger held off pressure to lay it off to Planas, who took a couple of touches forward before effortlessly slotting it into the back of the net.
The abrupt deficit prompted Miranda to bring on Maheson Singh Tongbram and Daniel Chima Chukwu, among others, with the latter’s introduction bringing out hopeful cries from the home support.
There was a sudden shift in tempo, and CFC finally forced a save out of Shubham Das on the hour mark after Farukh tried his luck with his left-footed strike from outside the box.
CFC’s dominance on the ball continued, this time primarily in the opposition half, with fullbacks Laldinliana R and Mandar Rao Dessai overloading the Kashi box with their deliveries. However, Habas’ backline was equally up for the challenge, stopping the opposition from having any clear sight at goal.
A mix-up in the box, however, allowed the host to get one back in the fifth minute of added time with Chukwu smashing the ball in from close range. But it was too little too late as Kashi saw the game out to walk away with all three points and climb to eighth in the standings while CFC dropped one place to 11.
Published on Apr 07, 2026
