It was Chennaiyin who were on the attack early on, with Arindam called into action as early as in the fifth minute. Chennaiyin captain Rafael Crivellaro, after receiving the ball from Jakub Sylvestr, fired a shot at goal only for Arindam to block it. Minutes later, Lallianzuala Chhangte found himself in a good position but fired wide.
ATKMB grew into the game as it progressed, with their main attacking outlet Roy Krishna often finding himself in the thick of things. In the 19th minute, he supplied Manvir on the right and got into position to receive the ball back, only for the latter to lose it. A minute later, he chased down a deflected ball and nearly scored but was flagged for offside.