Marquee footballer Florent Malouda scored twice to shape Delhi Dynamos fluent 4-1 win over title holders Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Wednesday.
The Delhi Dynamos captain was the most influential player on the ground guiding his team at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as Delhi went to the top of the standings with 16 points from nine matches after the win.
Chennaiyin, the defending champions, are placed fifth with 10 points from eight matches.
Striker Richard Gadze gave Delhi Dynamos the lead in the 15th minute before Malouda made it 2-0 in the 25th minute. It was the Frenchman's first ISL goal.
Defender Bernard Mendy provided brief hope for Chennaiyin in the 37th minute when he reduced the margin to 1-2.
But Delhi were unstoppable in the second half with forward Kean Lewis making it 3-1 and Malouda himself completing the rout with his second goal.
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Chennaiyin's loss, coming after three successive draws, left them with plenty of work to do in the remaining matches in order to qualify for the semi-finals.
The opening goal occurred in the 15th minute when Malouda won a ball and took a quick shot on goal. It was saved by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh but Gadze was lurking around to pounce on the rebound, before he could be tackled by Chennaiyin defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo.
Malouda made it 2-0 in the 25th minute after combining well with Gadze. The Ghanaian did well to wriggle past Brazilian defender Eli Sabia Filho and set it up for Malouda to finish with a well placed left-footer.
Chennaiyin fought their way back into the game through their captain Mendy, who made a fine run evading several Delhi players before smashing the ball into the goal.
In the second half, Malouda continued to dominate the play and created Delhi's third goal. He did well to hold on to the ball inside the box and then passed it on to Lewis who did extremely well with a fine shot.
Delhi extended their domination, scoring their fourth goal and Malouda's second of the match when he scored from close range.
--IANS
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