Chennaiyin FC did not have a smooth ride into the sunset as it ended its already dismal Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 campaign with a 1-2 loss against Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
Daniel Chima Chukwu and Ryan Williams traded strikes in the first half, before debutant Serto Worneilen Kom bagged a late winner, leaving Chennaiyin 13th in the table with just nine points - its worst finish since 2018-19, when it finished 10th out of 10 teams.
In sweltering conditions, Bengaluru asserted control courtesy of its four-man midfield with Braian Sanchez testing the opposition goalkeeper as early as the second minute.
Soham Varshneya, in his first start in the ISL, assumed the furthest right position in that central group and constantly put Chennaiyin’s back line under pressure. Apart from overloading the box with passes, the 21-year-old also threatened, occasionally cutting inside and shooting, with Mohammad Nawaz reacting quickly to deny the youngster 20 minutes into the tie.
But for all BFC’s dominance, it was Chennaiyin that broke the deadlock.
Coach Clifford Miranda’s criticism of the team’s chance conversion ahead of the match seemed to have fired up the players as they took the lead with their first big opportunity of the game in the 34th minute.
Chukwu started the swift move by winning the ball in the middle of the pitch and distributing it before running up to take up position inside the area. The ball, meanwhile, made its way around to Mandar Rao, who was played through on the left wing by Farukh Choughary before laying it on a plate for Chukwu.
Bengaluru was desperate for an equaliser before the break, and this time its hunger was rewarded as William pulled off a crisp one-touch move with Lalremtluanga Fanai to set himself up for an easy finish with two regulation minutes left in the first half.
As the daylight faded, Bengaluru refused to ease off, with Nawaz repeatedly called into action, often countering the the opponent’s distribution into the box. The Chennaiyin custodian’s best moment of the evening arrived in the 65th minute after he denied Sanchez from point-blank range after he was set up by a dazzling Williams run.
At the other end, the visitors learned from their first-half mistake and did not allow the home side to catch them out of shape.
Both teams made attacking substitutions, with Sunil Chhetri naturally getting the loudest cheers, especially from the cluster of Bengaluru fans who outsang the home support for most of the evening.
With seconds ticking on, the away support was given one final hurrah for the season after Williams breached the Chennaiyin box through the right in the 89th minute. His cut-back was hit first time by Fanai, and Pritam Kotal made a block in front of the goal, only to see the loose ball smashed into an empty goal by substitute Kom after taking advantage of a snoozing defence.
Tension flared at the final whistle as Chennaiyin’s S. Prakadeswaran expressed his frustration by blasting the ball into the opposition dugout, prompting a reaction and subsequently a mass scrap. The bust-up, however, will not bother Bengaluru, which kept its mathematical chances of winning the league alive and climbed to the top of the standings with 23 points from its 13 matches.
Published on May 16, 2026