ISL 2025-2026 : Laldinliana Renthlei Scores First-Ever League Goal as Chennaiyin Fall to NorthEast United

Earlier, head coach Clifford Rayes Miranda named an unchanged starting eleven from the previous match. Mohammad Nawaz continued between the sticks behind a backline comprising Laldinliana Renthlei, PC Laldinpuia, Pritam Kotal, and Mandar Rao Dessai. Alberto Noguera and Mohammed Ali Bemammer anchored the midfield, while Lalrinliana Hnamte operated behind striker Daniel Chima Chukwu, with Irfan Yadwad and Farukh Choudhary providing the width.

NorthEast United struck early through a sweeping counter-attacking move to take the lead inside five minutes. Chennaiyin looked to respond positively, but were dealt another setback midway through the half when Bemammer was forced off through injury, with Maheson Singh introduced in his place. Earlier, Nawaz had produced a sharp stop in the 20th minute to keep the deficit at one and keep Chennaiyin within touching distance of the contest.

As the half progressed, the Marina Machans began to grow into the game, enjoying long spells of possession and circulating the ball confidently, but struggled to find the decisive final pass in the attacking third. Noguera tried his luck from distance late in the half, only to see his effort blocked, before Nawaz was called into action again with an acrobatic save to deny Jithin MS on the break.

However, NorthEast doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time after capitalising on a mistake, Jairo Samperio grabbing his second of the evening. Chennaiyin ended the half strongly with a flurry of set-pieces, but went into the break trailing 2-0.

Chennaiyin continued to stitch together promising attacking moves after the restart, with Noguera and Irfan combining well in and around the box. Just past the hour mark, Noguera slipped Irfan through, but the forward’s effort was directed straight at the goalkeeper. The Marina Machans continued to push for a way back into the contest, but NorthEast United extended their lead in the 70th minute through an unfortunate own goal by Laldinliana.

Despite the setback, Chennaiyin kept probing and were eventually rewarded in the 82nd minute. A slick attacking move saw Noguera break into the box before cutting the ball back intelligently into the path of Laldinliana. The fullback showed excellent composure, swivelling sharply under pressure before guiding a low finish into the bottom corner for his first-ever Indian Super League goal. However, NorthEast United added a fourth in stoppage time to round off the evening.

Chennaiyin will aim to bounce back from their defeat in their final match of the season against Bengaluru FC, now rescheduled for Saturday, May 16.