Chennaiyin deserved to win the title, says Mailson

The Brazilian equalised in the 17th minute and provided a morale booster later, by striking just before the conclusion of the first half. 

“I am very happy. Chennai is such a strong team and we deserved this. I am happy to have represented CFC twice and to have won the trophy both times,” Mailson expressed his delight after the final whistle.  

Left back Jerry Lalrinzuala broke into the limelight in ISL 3, after Dhanachandra Singh was ruled out for the season with an injury. With some breathtaking performances, he managed to cement his position as the first choice player on the left side of the defence. 

During ISL 4, he featured regularly alongside an experienced trio of Inigo Calderon, Mailson and Sereno, which only uplifted the 19-year-old’s game on the pitch. “This is just my second season (in the ISL) and we are already champions. I am just not able to believe it,” Jerry was lost for words. 

As many as 2000 CFC supporters, dressed in their away attires of white, made the trip to the ‘Garden City’ to witness the final showdown. “It’s amazing. Thank you to all the fans who came out in numbers to support us here,” said Jeje Lalpekhlua, who was also a part of the title-winning team in ISL 2. 

Chennaiyin’s Spanish defender Inigo Calderon has been in glistening form throughout and ended the season as the fittest player in the league, an amazing achievement if one takes into account the fact that he is 36-years-old. 

Speaking on the win, he said, “I had to wait 36 years to win something, so it was worth it. I think we deserved it. They held the game initially and we conceded a goal, but we came back. They played very well too. I don’t think it was a comfortable win. We worked really, really hard this entire season, so I think, we are really, really proud. Not sure how we are going to celebrate but it would be a big party for sure.” 

Custodian Karanjit Singh has been a rock in Chennaiyin’s famed defence this season and again made some sensational saves against Bengaluru to keep his team’s lead intact. When asked how it felt to be termed as champions, he said, “Feeling great because this is the greatest target every team has. We are very happy to beat BFC at home. But at the end of the day, we all saw who the champion is. We are!”