Chennai City FC defeated Minerva Punjab to be crowned champions of the I-League 2018-19.
Chennai City came from behind and got the Minerva Punjab 3-1 on the final day of the league. Chasing the leaders, travellers East Bengal finished second after beating Gokulam Kerala FC 2-1 in Kozhikode.
The match was played at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Minerva Punjab’s Roland Bilala shot a goal within the 3rd minute. Pedro Manzi, got Chennai from defeat to a draw.
Gaurav Bora sealed two goals at the 69th and 93rd minute making sure Chennai seal the title.
Chennai ended the league at the top of the table with 43 points, East Bengal finished second. Manzi finished as the joint top-scorer of the league alongside Willis Plaza of Churchill Brothers with 21 goals.
For the young owners of Chennai City FC, this win is nothing short of a dream.
For the owners hiring Akbar Nawas as coach and giving him the complete freedom to build a champion group was the biggest task.