There is a British expression about waiting so long for a London bus and then two come along in no time.
Well, Englishman John Gregory got to experience the football version of that first-hand as his side Chennayin FC produced a thrilling finish against Hyderabad FC in the sixth season of Indian Super League.
The two-time champions had endured a goal-drought that had extended to more than 700 minutes of action but they fired two goals in the space of five minutes on Monday at the Marina Arena.
Chennaiyin FC thus secured their first win of season in the process, beating the newcomers 2-1 in a match that sprung to life in the final moments with all the goals coming in added time.
The home team went ahead 1-0 in the first minute of added time when Maltese import Andre Schembri beat the rival goalie Kamaljit Singh. The substitute’s strike was neutralised almost immediately as Matthew Kilgallon headed in powerfully, rising above the Chennaiyin defence to beat the custodian.
As the match headed towards a finish, Nerijus Valskis beat Kamaljit, who had a brilliant game otherwise, to get the first win of the season for Gregory’s men.
Schembri and Valskis combined to send the latter through on goal and he tucked in an excellent finish to send the home crowd into raptures on the stroke of the full-time whistle.
It was Chennaiyin FC’s first win in 289 days, bringing a lot of relief for Gregory, who two weeks ago was contemplating an exit.
Watch the highlights of the match here:
(With PTI inputs)