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MOHUN BAGAN
v
DEMPO
Yuvabharati Krirangan, Kolkata
Dec 16th, 1:45 PM IST
–
Mohun Bagan 2-2 Dempo [Full Time]
Teams:
Dempo: Kattimani, Dias, Debabrata, Pixoto, Carvalho, Borges, Beto, Kalu, Norhonha, Cliffton, Ranty.
Mohun Bagan : Shilton, Azim, Dhanarajan, Rahul, Nazimuddin, Jayanta, Snehasish, Gouranga, Souvik, Barreto, Muritala.
1′: Match kicks off. Subhash Bhowmik, the new TD of Mohun Bagan would not like to see a repeat of last year’s scoreline in this fixture. Dempo crushed Bagan 4-1, despite going down to a Manju goals early in the match.
8′ : GOOOAAALLL!!! Muritala Ali latches onto a pass from Souvik & makes no mistake. Bagan lead 1-0.
15′: Bagan are being cheered by the infamously noisy Kolkata crowd. The defending champions are on a backfoot.
17′ : Muritala tests Kattimani again. Mohun Bagan are completely dominating Dempo here.
24′ : The pace of the game is slowing down. Dempo is trying to get back into the match.
28′: Golden opportunity missed ! Bagan got a penalty but Jose Ramirez Barreto fails to convert it. He missed a few penalties last season, costing Bagan precious wins. Does Bagan need a new spot kick taker ?
35′ : Both teams trying to take control of the midfield.
38′ : GOOOAAALL!!! Dempo equalise. Once again it’s Beto who made the difference, his defence splitting pass found Clifton Gonzalez, who beat Shilton Pal.
HALF TIME: Mohun Bagan 1-1 Dempo. The Green and Maroons would be ruing the missed penalty. They could have been 2-0 up if that had been successfully converted by Barreto. Sk. Azim has been one of the best players on the field, having marked Ranty Martins flawlessly. The first half points towards in exciting 2nd half.
50′: Barretoooo !!! That was close. Murital sent a teasing cross towards Barreto, but the Brazilian’s header just went over.
55′: Shilton saves. Ranty fired a right footer from the edge of the Bagan box. But the young ‘keeper was alert and makes a good save. It’s still 1-1 at YBK.
60′: Substitution for Bagan. Striker Asim Biswas came in place of winger Gouranga Dutta. That’s a positive change by Subhash Bhowmick.
61′: Ashim robbed Cliffton off the ball with a well timed tackle in midfield; the ball was then crossed by Muritala, but Barreto missed the target.
62′: Mohun Bagan 1-1 Dempo.
68′: Barreto crosses but the ball is calmly gathered by Kattimani.
74′: Bagan are attacking but are wasteful in the final third. Muritala fails to get to the end of Barrito’s cross from the right.
79′: GOAAAAAL! Ranty Martins makes it 1-2 in favor of Dempo. Bagan need to equalize without wasting anytime if they are to get something out of this match.
80′: GOAAAAAL! Cometh the hour, cometh the man – Baretto scores for Mohun Bagan to make it 2-2. We are in for an exciting 10 minutes now, with both teams going for a win.
81′: Mohun Bagan 2-2 Dempo.
83′: Shilton makes a good save off Martins attempt. We are still tied, here in Kolkata.
86′: The Mohun Bagan bench looks worried, as Shilton is being treated on the pitch. Surely, Bagan does not need another injury.
90′: Both teams now have 4 minutes of injury time to find a winner.
92′: Same old. Same old. Barreto crosses from the left, but Muritala fails to make something out of it.
94′: Dempo gets a free kick in a dangerous area, but Rahul comes to his team’s rescue and preempts Dempo’s attack. We are still looking for a winner.
FT: It’s all over at the YBK, with both teams sharing the spoils. Final Score: Mohun Bagan 2-2 Dempo.
JCT FC
v
EAST BENGAL
Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana
Dec 17th, 2:00 PM IST
JCT FC 0-1 EAST BENGAL [Full Time]
–
Teams:
East Bengal : Sandip, Soumik, Okpara, Gurwinder, Naoba, Penn, Sanju (Bekhokhei), Mehtab, Sushant, Robin, Tolgay (Ravinder)
JCT: Pawan, Omoloja, Amandeep, Rahul, Lalchuwaama, Daljit (Mandeep), Randeep, Maninder, Saran (Balraj), Balwant, Parveen.
5′ : Its goal-less here at Ludhiana. Last year this fixture ended in a 1-1 draw. The turf on Guru Nanak stadium is not in best of conditions, due to a recently concluded school event. Will East Bengal’s smooth passing game be affected by that ?
12′ : It’s still goal-less. Both teams have started the match in a leisurely pace.
16′ : Penn Orji, a JCT player last season is trying hard to create something for Tolgay and Robin.
25′ : None of the teams have managed to break the deadlock yet.
27′: Great ball towards Robin by Sanju from the right flank. But Robin’s poor first touch lets him down. Cleared by JCT defense.
29′: JCT FC players have increased their attacking tempo and started to see more and more balls in the midfield. No goals yet in the first 3o minutes.
30′: Tolgayyyy !!! Hits it straight at the hands of JCT goalkeeper Pawan. Disappointing effort by the Australian here. Robin sent him the pass and he had a clear sight of the goal. An opportinity missed by the Red & Gold brigade here.
33′: East Bengal is completely dominating the proceedings in last 5 minutes or so. I can see a goal coming here. Penn-Tolgay-Robin are exhibiting great one touch passing skills. But the pitch is a let down for the East Bengal players, it has hardly any grass on it.
37: GOOAAALLLL !!! Just as I told you a goal is coming !!! Okpara finds the target for East Bengal. Mehtab with a teasing corner from the left flag and Okpara heads it into the back of the net. East Bengal up by one goal.
41′: East Bengal looking for doubling the lead. Another attack by the Red & Gold outfit, but JCT defense cleared somehow.
42′: JCT ‘keeper Pawan Kumar receives the first booking of the match for a foul on Mehtab Hussain.
45′: 2 minutes of additional injury time.
45’+1: Robin Singh with another solo effort this time. But three JCT defenders crowded him and ultimately Robin lost the possession.
HT: JCT FC 0-1 EAST BENGAL :: Referee blows the half time whistle. East Bengal leading by a goal here at Ludhiana.
46′: Second Half gets underway. No halftime change for East Bengal. JCT made one substitution. Defender Mandip Singh came in place of Daljit Singh.
50′: East Bengal continuing in the same fashion where the finished the first half. Wave of attacks for JCT defense to handle in the initial minutes of the second half.
52′: Good save by Pawan Kumar. Robin Singh heads from inside the six yards box towards the left of JCT ‘keeper, but he holds on to the ball.
55′: Tolgay was fouled in a dangerous position just outside the box. But the referee signals to play on. That was a clumsy challenge and certainly deserves a yellow card at the least.
57′: East Bengal is having lions share of the ball possession in the second half. JCT just unable to come out of their own half.
59′: Penn gets hold of a long ball and tried to feed Tolgay, but JCT defender Omoloja was alert and intercepts the pass at the right time.
62′: Mehtab Hussain – the double cylinder – as he is known in the team circle, is having a great match. Stringing attacks after attack for the Kolkata outfit as the deep lying playmaker. He has rediscovered himself under the new British coach Trevor James Morgan and arguably he is the best player for East Bengal so far in this season.
63′: Tolgay misses another opportunity to double the team’s lead. A nice sequence of passes between Mehtab and Penn saw the latter releasing the ball for Tolgay inside the penalty area. But perhaps today is not his day – Pawan makes a brilliant one handed save to deny the Australian again.
68′: The score-line still remains 0-1 in favor of the visiting East Bengal team. Sukhwinder Singh makes his second substitution for JCT. Balraj Singh comes in place of Saran Singh. An attacking move, striker IN, midfielder OUT.
72′: East Bengal is trying hard to score one more and be on the safer side. But JCT defenders are showing resolute performance in the second half. Uga Okpara’s 37th minute strike separates the two sides at this moment.
75′: 15 minutes remaining for JCT to salvage one point from this home tie, but it looks to be a distant dream at the moment seeing the utmost dominance of East Bengal. Both the teams make one change each. Ravinder Singh came in place of Tolgay Ozbey and for JCT Praveen Kumar makes the way for Gurpreet Singh.
80′: We are into the final 10 minutes of the match. East Bengal is still leading by one goal.
84′: Ravinder with a great run down the right wing. But he tried to take on too many JCT defenders on his own and ultimately loses the ball. Just over 5 minutes to go for the final whistle.
87′: JCT 0-1 East Bengal is the score line. 3 minutes of regulation time remaining here.
90′: Mehtab and Gurwinder unnecessarily receives yellow cards for arguing with the referee. Bekhikhei is the third and last substitute for East Bengal.
92′: Four minutes of injury time added here. East Bengal still in search of a second goal.
FT: East Bengal registers their fourth win of the campaign in as many matches. Clinical performances by the Morgan Army here tlthough the score line does not truly portray the sheer dominance of the Red & Gold outfit. With this win East Bengal remains at the top of the league standings after their 4th round match. Uga Okpara is TheHardTackle’s man of the match for a brilliant defensive performanve coupled with the winning goal.
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AIR INDIA
v
ONGC
Sahahu Stadium, Kohlapur
Dec 17th, 3:00 PM IST
–
AIR INDIA 0-0 ONGC FC [Full Time]
5′: The match is on here at Kohlapur. No goals yet in this Mumbai Derby.
15′: The match started on a lazy tempo. No clear cut goal scoring opportunities in the fisrt 15 minutes for either of the teams.
30′: We are at the half hour mark. Still it’s goalless here at Kohlapur.
HT: It’s still goalless at the Half Time. ONGC enjoyed slight dominance in terms of possession in the first half.
48′: Air India kicks off the second half. It still remains Air India 0-0 ONGC FC.
60′: The dodgy affair reached one hour mark. No team is able to break the deadlock yet.
70′: It seems like both the teams will be content to share one points each. Only 20 minutes remaining for the final whistle and there is no urgency from anyone whatsoever. Disappoing match.
80′: Only 10 minutes to go and the goal-mouth remains to be an unsolved mystery for both the teams. It’s Air India 0-0 ONGC FC.
90′: The sceduled 90 minutes are over. Referee added 2 minutes of injury time. It’s unlikely that the dead-lock will be broken though.
FT: Here’s the final whistle. Kohlapur yet again produced a pale 0-0 draw. Both Air India and ONGC shares a point each from this tie, which might prove to be vital in the relegation battle at the end of the campaign.
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MUMBAI FC
v
CHURCHILL BROTHERS
Shahanu Stadium, Kohlapur
Dec 18th, 3:30 PM IST
–
Mumbai FC 1-5 Churchill Brothers [Full Time]
1′: The match kicks off at Shahanu Stadium, Kohlapur. Both the teams are with winning momentum, it promises to be a cracker of a contest.
10′: No goals yet in the match. Churchill players are showing much more intent than their Mumbai counterparts in the early stages.
15′: GOOOAAALLLLL !!! Mumbai FC scores against the run of play. Noel Wilson is the scorer.
20′: GOOOAAALLLLL !!! Churchill Brothers equalize through their star striker Odafa Okolie, who converts a spot kick with ease. This is the Nigerian’s 5th goal of the campaign. It’s 1-1 now at Kohlapur. Exciting stuffs here.
30′ It’s Mumbai FC 1-1 Churchill Brothers at the half hour mark.
31′: GOOOAAAALLLL !!! Churchill on fire here. Vincent Subramaniam’s boys scores another one. Agaian it is Odafa Okolie – the scorer. Mumbai FC trailing 1-2, first half in progress here at Kohlapur.
40′: Scoreline remains 1-2 in favor of the visiting Churchill Brothers team. 5 minutes to go for the half time.
42′: It’s goals galore at Kohlapur at this moment. Here comes the third goal for Churchill. Bineesh Balan is the scorer. Churchill Brothers 3-1 up against Mumbai FC in this top of the table clash.
HT: Here’s the half time whistle. A confident display by the Churchill side here. They did not lose heart after conceding early into the match and fought back spiritedly to score three goals in the first half. The half time score line reads MUMBAI FC 1-3 CHURCHILL BROTHERS.
47′: The second half gets underway. Can the home team bounce back?
65′: No goal in the second half yet. Churchill leading 3-1 by the hour mark.
75′: GOOOAAALLL !!! Odafa Okolie – YOU BEAUTY !!! WHAT A HAT-TRICK !!! Churchill 4-1 up. 15 minutes remaining for Mumbai FC to stage a comeback; which looks completely unlikely by the way Churchill Brothers are dominating this match.
80′: Only 10 minutes remaining and it’s Churchill Brothers who are attacking in numbers.
FT: MUMBAI FC 1-5 CHURCHILL BROTHERS :: Churchill Brothers crushed the home side 1-5 to register their second win. Odafa scored one more goal in the dying moments of the match. Odafa Okolie, who scored four goals, is TheHardTackle’s man of the match.
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VIVA KERALA
v
HAL SC
Municipal Corporation Stadium, Calicut
Dec 18th 3:30 PM IST
–
VIVA KERALA 1-1 HAL SC [Full Time]
1′: Can HAL produce yet another surprise in this match? Unlike their previous two surprise wins, this one won’t be a huge surprise though, as Viva Kerala is finding it tough to get going in their campaign so far. Here we go, the match is on. Massive home support here for Viva Kerala.
10′: HAL wastes a corner and a free kick. They are attacking more and more. Murali tries a volley in the 8th minute, but it’s off target.
20′: Viva started to see more possession in last 5 minutes or so. Jimshad playing well for the home team and trying to create an opportunity. Umar Farooque missed a sitter. He had an open net in front of goal, but smashes his shot wide from the edge of the box. No goals scored as of now.
25′: It’s still goalless. HAL SC made a tactical switch and replaced their foreign striker Ameba Hamza and brings in Rajendra Prasad. It’s a 4-5-1 for the Bangalore based team now.
40′: We are at the end of the first half. Just five minutes remaining before the player takes their lemon break. It’s still goalless.
HT’: It’s a goalless first half at Kannur. Viva Kerala 0-0 HAL SC.
47′: HAL SC kicks off the second half. Which team will be able to break the dead-lock? Any predictions?
49′: GOOAAALLL !!! HAL gets a penalty and Murali converts it.
50′: GOOAAALLL !!! Anil Kumar equlizes for the home team very next minute. It’s VIVA 1-1 HAL with around 40 minutes remaining.
65′: The match has suddenly become interesting with lots of attacks and counter attacks. No more goals yet. Yellow card for HAL’s Vijaykumar. Viva Kerala’s goal scorer Anil Kumar got another golden opportunity, but he fired it straight at the HAL SC ‘keeper, Pramod.
75′: A stalemate is quite likely at Kannur today. Only 15 more minutes to go and the teams are tied on 1-1.
80′: Second Yellow of the match for HAL’s game maker Xavier Vijaykumar and he gets the marching order. A pumped up Viva side against 10 men HAL army for the last 10 minutes. Can they register their first win in this edition?
FT: VIVA KERALA 1-1 HAL SC :: The entertaining game ends in an 1-1 stalemate. Both the teams will be happy with the result. Viva Kerala’s Anil Kumar is TheHardTackle’s man of the match.
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SALGAOCAR
v
AIFF XI
Fatorda Stadium, Margaon
Dec 18th, 3:45 PM IST
–
SALGAOCAR 5-0 AIFF XI [FT]
5′: It’s even stevens at Goa after the first 5 minutes play.
20′: Salgaocar scores three back to back goals in a span of 15 minutes. It’s Salgaocar 3-0 AIFF XI at this moment. Yusif Yakubu scored the 1st and the 3rd goals, while Sueoka scored the other one.
35′: AIFF boys seem to have regrouped a bit after conceding three early goals. Salgaocar is still attacking. Score line remains 3-0 in favor of the home team.
40′: GOOOAAAALLLL !!! Salgaocar’s star-studded forward line is toying with the AIFF lads at this moment. The home team scores their fourth goal. Sueoka is the scorer again.
HT’: It’s Half Time here at Fatorda Stadium, Margaon and the AIFF kids will heave a sigh of relief. Salgaocar 4-0 up with full control and complete dominance.
50′: The second half gets underway at Margaon.
60′: The scoreline remains Salgaocar 4-0 AIFF XI. We are into the hour mark. 30 minutes to go.
80′: 10 minutes to go. AIFF boys defended resolutely in this half; just like they did in the first half against East Bengal.
85′: The score is still Salgoacar 4-0 AIFF. Last five minutes of normal time remaining.
90′: GOAAAAAAL! Salgoacar complete their five-star performance with a goal in injury time.
FT: The game ends at Salgoacar 5-0 AIFF. Japanese Ruiji Sueoka is TheHardTackle’s Man of the Match.
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PUNE FC
v
CHIRAG UNITED
Balewadi Stadium, Pune
Dec 18th, 7:00 PM IST
–
Teams:
Pune FC: Balaji, Gurjinder, Othalo, Selwin, Sunil, Ajayan, Paresh, lamine, Lester, Arata, Keita
Chirag: Abhijit, Bapi, Anupam, Chika, Subhasish, Rafiq, Nascimento, Lalkamal, Gouranga, Elija, Joshimar.
15′: No goals in this fixture yet. The Balewadi crowd is cheering on the local team as they try to get their first win on this year’s campaign against the Durand Cup champions.
25′: It’s still goal-less. Chirag United has traveled to Pune without their TD Subrata Bhattacharya, who is admitted in a nursing-home after suffering from a bout of flu. Will coach Sanjay Sen be able to cover for Subrata’s absence ?
31′: Pretty end to end stuff here. Both teams are searching for a goal. The midfield battle between youngster Lalkamal Bhowmik and veteran Ajayan is heating up.
33′: That was close !! The Junior-Joshimar duo linked well but Pune ‘keeper Balaji was upto the task.
40′: Chirag has been dominating possession so far. it’s still goal-less.
45′: GOOOAAALL!!! And it’s the away team who take the lead, just on the stroke of half-time.
HALF TIME: PUNE FC 0-1 CHIRAG UNITED. Elijah Junior once again comes to rescue the Durand winners. He made amends for the easy chances he missed in last game.
46′: Second half starts. Junior-Joshimar combo has caused unlimited problem to PFC defence in first half. PFC need to hold their fort and spring a spirited comeback like they did in the opening match against Mohun Bagan
58′: GOOOAAALL!!! PFC equalize. The pressure they were putting on Chirag’s defence in 2nd half paid off. Arata turned in a cross from Lamine.
62′: Pune FC is pushing hard to get the win now. Chirag is trying to hit PFC on counter-attacks.
66′: Arata Izumi, the goal-scorer is causing headaches to Chirag’s defence with his incisive runs.
73′: Veteran warhorses Paresh Shivalkar and Ajayan are in total control of the midfield in 2nd half. PFC coach criticized their performance after last match. They are proving that they still have a lot to offer.
78′: It’s still 1-1.
85′: It seems like both teams are happy with a draw. The tempo of the match has dropped significantly
FULL TIME: PUNE FC 1-1 CHIRAG UNITED. In the end there was nothing to choose between two sides. PFC remain winless after 4 matches, Chirag get a valuable away point. Arata Izumi is TheHardTackle’s Man of the Match. The 4th round of I-League matches are concluded with this game. Visit us back for the review of key actions of this round. Good night!