Defensive errors were at the forefront as Chennaiyin FC lost 1-2 to Inter Kashi in their Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.
After three successive defeats, Kashi bounced back and proved crucial 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 certain to increase relegation concerns, both sides started the match cautiously, with CFC retaining long but fruitless periods of possession. On the other hand, despite CFC head coach Clifford Miranda predicting that his counterpart, Antonio Lopez Habas, would be direct, the Spaniard’s players seemed content to sit back and let the game come to them.
CFC vs IKFC – As it happened
Mohammed Ali Bemammer’s return to the starting XI after coming off injured in the previous match helped CFC as he teamed up with skipper Alberto Noguera to continually win possession in the center of the park. However, the duo’s periodic long balls went largely unattended by his striker.
CFC’s frontmen Farukh Choudhary and Ingio Martinez were mere spectators in the first 45, apart from a few long-range strikes that posed no real threat.
For all of CFC’s possession, it was Kashi who registered the first shot on target in the opening minute of first-half extra time, after Sergio Llamas netted a corner. CFC’s solid defense until then failed to clear the ball, allowing Wayne Vaz to poke the ball from close range. CFC custodian Mohammad Nawaz moved quickly to his right to scoop the ball only as far as Rohit Danu, whose chip back to center was heroically cleared off the line by Imran Khan.
It was a warning sign as the visitor managed to break the deadlock before the spectators could return to their seats after the break. Less than a minute after the restart, Danu won the ball deep in CFC’s half and played it from the left to the middle. Llamas’ poor first touch appeared to have given CFC some respite, but Bemmamer failed to clear his lines as the ball fell to Planas, who produced a beautiful side-foot volley on the edge of the area to send the ball past a diving Nawaz.
Kashi smelled blood and kept his foot on the pedal, and eight minutes later the team was two ahead. Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, getting his first start of the season, kicked in the air while trying to make a standard clearance, handing the ball to Ashish Jha on a plate. The winger held off the pressure and laid the ball off to Planas, who made a few touches forward before effortlessly firing the ball into the back of the net.
The abrupt shortage prompted Miranda to call in Maheson Singh Tongbram and Daniel Chima Chukwu, among others, with the latter’s introduction bringing out hopeful cries from home care.
There was a sudden change of pace and CFC eventually forced a save from 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 mainly in the opposition half, with full-backs Laldinliana R and Mandar Rao Dessai overloading the Kashi box with their deliveries. However, Habas’ backline was just as up for the challenge, leaving the opposition without a clear view of the goal.
However, a mix-up in the penalty area allowed the hosts 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 match end, walking away with all three points and moving up to eighth in the standings, while CFC dropped one place to eleventh.
Published on April 7, 2026
