Super Cup 2018: Aizawl FC edge past reigning ISL champions Chennaiyin FC on penalties to enter quarter-finals

Bhubaneswar: Former I-League champions Aizawl FC knocked out reigning ISL champions Chennaiyin FC 5-3 via tie-breaker in a thrilling pre-quarterfinal encounter of the Super Cup. The teams were locked 2-2 at the end of the 120 minutes of slugfest that saw Romanian Andrei Ionescu strike twice for the I-League outfit while Chennaiyin came back twice during the dying moments – first though Brazilian Mailson Alves in the 89th minute of the regulation time and then through Dhanachandra Singh in the 114th minute. [caption id=“attachment_4413829” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Aizawl FC players celebrate after winning the penalty shootout. Image courtesy: Hero Super Cup[/caption] During the tie-breaker, former India player Mohammed Rafi missed the second penalty for the two-time ISL champions while Aizawl were on target with all their five shots. It was Ionescu, whose long ranger took a wicked deflection beating Chennaiyin custodian Karanjit Singh as Aizawl took the lead in the 22nnd minute. Mailson restored parity just a minute before the final whistle converting a rebound in the 89th minute. At the start of the extra time, Ionescu once again scored with a precision strike as it looked that Aizawl went 2-1 up. With six minutes for extra time to end, Chennaiyin’s left back Dhanachandra Singh’s low drive found the back of the net as the match went into a tie-breaker.