Chenniayin bounced back from a five-match winless run with a comfortable 2-0 win against an uninspired FC Pune City side at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, and jump to the fifth spot in the Indian Super League table, trailing behind Atletico de Kolkata only on goal difference.

Close to the half-time whistle, Jeje Lalpekhlua scored his third goal of the campaign, finishing off a superb team effort with a header. Five minutes on the other side of the break, Davide Succi doubled his side’s lead, also from a header, getting on the end of a first-rate cross from Raphael Augusto.

The home side took control of possession as Pune decided to play the waiting game and possibly use Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s pace on the flanks. The plan backfired spectacularly as Chennaiyin grew in confidence with the ball at their feet. Pune, however, did well to keep Jeje and Co. at bay for much of the first half.

It was an excellent team display of one-touch passing that put the defending champions in the lead: Jerry Lalrinzuala crossed from the left, Hans Mulder from the edge of the box volleyed across the face of goal, and a backpedaling Succi lobbed it in the path of Jeje who headed the ball home.

After the half-time whistle, there was a sign of a Pune fightback as Jonathan Lucca’s deflected shot had Chennaiyin keeper Karanjit Singh scrambling to push the ball away from goal.

Two minutes later, Chennaiyin doubled their lead with a quality counter-attack. The ever-impressive Augusto cut in from the right to curl the ball to Succi at the far post who gladly buried it past Edel Bete.

Chennaiyin cleverly slowed the tempo of the game down in the middle of the park, just when Pune were starting their transitions. There were very few attempts on goal at both ends as a jaded Pune attack hardly made the Chennaiyin defence sweat; Bernard Mendy and his backline had an excellent day. Pune slipped to sixth in the table.

Brief score:

Chennaiyin FC 2 (Jeje Lalpekhlua, Davide Succi) beat FC Pune City 0