The 18th Round of I-League began with East Bengal squaring off against Prayag United. The 2010 Durand Cup winners were in a lot of problems before this match and struggled to field a fully fit team. Yusif Yakubu had left for his home because of family problems while the likes of Rassaq, Joshimar lacked full fitness. Their problems were compounded by the fact that Denson Devadas and Arnab Mandal were busy in another tournament, representing their office teams.
The situation was so dire that Prayag United officials had to search around Kolkata to find who all were fit to play this match. Few expected them to muster any challenge against East Bengal.Ai??As expected East Bengal did dominate possession but they were undone by some good, old fashioned gritty defending from Rassaq and Co. Despite having good possession stats, East Bengal could penetrate Prayagai??i??s defence only a handful of times.
As the final whistle neared, it seemed as if Prayag, the team which has lost least number of matches in I-League, will eke out another draw against the odds. Then a shocking incident happened. Gurpreet Sandhu, the young East Bengal ai???keeper came up to the Prayag penalty box. He was caught out of position, humiliatingly, by Kayne Vincent. The Kiwi ran through the length of the YBK pitch to score a late, late winner. Prayag United have now beaten both the Kolkata giants as well as Dempo and Salgaocar in this yearai??i??s I-League. Along with Pune FC, they represent the new breed of clubs who refuse to be brow beaten by big names. They might not win the title but they will play the role of a kingmaker.
Ranty is on his way to break his own record
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With East Bengal slipping in their match it became all the more important for Mohun Bagan to snatch three points from Chirag United in Kerala. The Mariners were suffering from a never ending list of injuries and were without their first choice defenders and Sunil Chhetri. Chirag and Bagan matched each other evenly before a handball late in first half led to a penalty for the away team with Odafa converting it. Chirag came back strongly in second half and equalized through Anil Kumar. Both teams looked desperately for a goal as the match entered last ten minutes.Ai?? The Green & Maroons got a second penalty from another handball as Chirag lost Jimshad to a red card. The home team was reduced to nine men minutes later as Jose Ramirez Barreto, playing with a bandaged head after a collision, scored his second goal in as many matches to seal a morale boosting 3-1 win for Bagan. Mohun Baganai??i??s victory keeps the Kolkata derby on 4th February deliciously poised with the Red & Golds having a single point lead over Mariners.
Armando Colaco was not present on Dempo bench but the Goan Blues arenai??i??t showing any signs of slowing down under Mauricio Alfonso. The four times champions were guilty of missing chances as they dropped two points against Salgaocar in last round but in-form Ranty Martins ensured that they didnai??i??t make the same mistake against Mumbai FC. The Nigerian put Dempo ahead on 21st minute by converting a spot kick. The away team continued with their dominant display in second half but was unable to find the net on several occasions. Ranty finally calmed nerves with his 21st goal of I-League 2011/12 two minutes into injury time. With 8 matches still left to play Ranty looks good enough to break his own record of scoring the highest number of goals in a single I-League season, 30, set last season.
Pune FC and Sporting Clube De Goa, two teams which generally provide excitement didnai??i??t disappoint in Round-18 as they played out a thrilling 6 goal encounter. Few expected the match to end as it did when Madjou Keita struck two goals within first 25 minutes to put Pune FC 2-0 up. The Red Lizards, who have curved out a reputation of staging comebacks, were given a taste of their own medicine as Sporting scored two goals in each half to win 4-2.
Lajong FC had not won a match in 2012 and their coach had heavily criticized his players after the loss in last round. They travelled to Bangalore to take on a HAL side who had tasted first win of this season in last round, in a proverbial ai???six pointerai??? relegation clash. Reddyai??i??s criticism looked to have a positive effect on the boys from Shillong, as they dished out a much improved performance. Eugeneson Lyngdohai??i??s goal five minutes before the half time was enough to wrap up three very important points for the team from North East. With this win Lajong has effectively ended any lingering doubts of survival as now they are 10 points ahead of 12th placed Chirag Kerala.
Pailan Arrows might be the only team without a victory in I-League but they certainly know how to draw matches as they played out yet another stalemate with Salgaocar. The Goan Greens dominated possession for major part of 90 minutes but were unable to break down a resolute Arrows defence led by custodian Ravi Kumar. The defending champions had stringed together a number of victories in last few rounds but have slumped to two consecutive draws now. Dropping points against the second from bottom team dealt a big blow to their title credentials.
Churchill Brothers kept pace with Dempo by curving out a hard-foughtAi??1-0 victory over Air India in an entertaining match in Mumbai. Both teams created numerous chances throughout the match, but it was Beto’s goal in first half which sealed all three points for the Red Machine. With this victory, Churchill Brothers move seven points behind Dempo with a game in hand.
Star ofAi?? the Week
Lajong FC Away Fans
The concept of travelling fans is still alien in India due to logistical reasons. Teams which travel for away matches rarely get any support during the game. Lajong FC proved once again why they have one of the most passionate set of fans in India right now. A large number of local Lajong fans turned up in the match against HAL and cheered on the away team for 90 minutes. At times it was difficult to understand which was the home team and which was the away one.
Match of the Week
Sporting Clube De Goa 4-2 Pune FC
The Flaming Orange has turned back in style since their humiliating 5-0 loss to Churchill Brothers a month back. Sporting had won three out of last five matches as they took on Pune FC on an eleven match unbeaten streak. PFC stunned the home crowd by taking a 2-0 lead in first 25 minutes with a brace from Keita. At the half hour mark, Sporting was handed a penalty kick as Kalou converted it. Just before half time whistle Kalou converted a second spot kick as the teams went into half time tied 2-2. Teams matched each other well in second half but match was turned on its head eight minutes before final whistle as Sudanese striker James Moga scored his 11th goal of the season. As PFC pushed up for an equalizer, Daswan scored the fourth one against run of play.
Flop of the Week
Ishfaq Ahmed
The ex-Mohun Bagan captain had a completely off day on the field against Pailan Arrows. His trademark runs along the touchline was few and far between and contributed pitifully little to Salgaocar attack. Karim Bencharifa had no choice but to replace him in second half.
Goal of the Week
Kayne Vincent (Prayag United) v East Bengal
The uniqueness of this goal and not the quality of the finish sees it selected for this category. Gurpreet Sandhu went up to Prayag penalty box to try and score a late goal for East Bengal. In such situations the defenders should stay back protecting the goal but there seemed to be a gap of communication among East Bengal players. To make matters worse Mehtab Hussain took the corner even before Sandhu had made his way to the box. Kayne Vincent latched on to a loose ball and darted past Sandhu in a race where he was always supposed to win. Vincent ran across the pitch with Soumik Dey on East Bengal goal line. Vincentai??i??s finish wasnai??i??t top notch as he somehow managed to hit Soumik but nonetheless the ball went in. I-League or NFL has never seen a goal like this before.
