Mohun Bagan kept their unbeaten record intact in the I-League with a comfortable 2-0 win over Mumbai FC. Bagan were supported by 10,000 Sanjoy Sens who watched on from the stands at the Barasat Stadium while the actual Mariners coach was serving his touchline ban.
Bagan’s foreign duo of Yusa Katsumi and Sony Norde scored the two goals, that gave the Kolkata side their seventh win out of 11 matches in the league so far.
The atmosphere at the Barasat Stadium was already charged up with Mohun Bagan manager Sen being banned from the touchline for eight I-League matches for making “derogatory statements” about the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
In order to support their gaffer, more than 10,000 Mohun Bagan supporters arrived at the stadium, wearing Sen’s masks, in protest of the AIFF’s decision.
With anti-AIFF chants ringing around the stadium, the game started off with the home side fielding a somewhat weaker side than in the previous matches.
Pritam Kotal was brought back to the right back position, while Dhanachandra Singh was given a bit of a rest, with the right-footed Prabir Das playing at left back. Lenny Rodrigues also got the nod to play alongside Pronay Halder, but the main change from the Mohun Bagan camp was that of Yusa Katsumi, who started from the bench, with Manish Bhargav getting a start on the right wing under the U-22 quota.
The nimble-footed winger from Punjab started off very well, troubling Mumbai fullback Thiyam Chingkhenganba with his darting runs down the right flank,. He cut inside from the right flank in the sixth minute of the match, and pulled the trigger with his left foot. However, he is predominantly a right footed player, and this was quite evident from the shot that trickled past the near post. Bhargav also helped out Kotal in the defence in the early exchanges.
From Mumbai’s side, Taisuke Matsugae and Ryuki Kozawa looked to trouble the Mohun Bagan defence. While Taisuke tried to use his quick feet to dribble around the Bagan defenders, Kozawa unleashed a couple of impressive shots from a distance of 20 yards. Both of them were expertly saved however, by Mohun Bagan custodian Debjit Majumder.
However, it was Mohun Bagan’s first half substitution that seemed to do the magic for them, as Katsumi came on for the impressive Bhargav. The Japanese playmaker had an instant impact on the game as he scored the opening goal of the match. Jeje Lalpekhlua, who latched on to an aerial through ball from the defence, played Katsumi through. Bagan’s Japanese star was not left with much to do, as he half-volleyed the bobbling ball into the top corner, on the 35th minute.
Both of Mohun Bagan’s wingers, Katsumi and Sony combined well to play each other through on goal. However, the two sides went into the dressing room at half time with the score 1-0 in Bagan’s favour.
The home side came out all guns blazing in the second half as well as they went ahead in search for the second goal. For a brief period, both the teams had to battle it out for possession of the ball in the Mohun Bagan half, as Mumbai tried to get back into the match.
However, the home side brought on Souvik Chakrabarti in place of a limping Cornell Glen, in an effort to shore up their midfield. This substitution seemed to have worked perfectly too, as the Mariners surged forward in a counter attack, with Sony earning a free kick from a little more than 22 yards out. The Haitian winger calmly slotted the free kick into the top corner as Mumbai goalkeeper Pawan Kumar watched on helplessly.
The intensity of the match died off after this goal, as Mohun Bagan looked to close the game off. The Mariners also seemed to be conserving their energy as they have a midweek AFC Cup tie against Yangon United in Guwahati.
This win puts the Mariners three points clear at the top of the table, with Bengaluru FC playing catch-up from the second place, followed by arch rivals East Bengal. Mohun Bagan now need four wins out of their remaining five matches to mathematically win the league.
Feature Image Credits: I-League Media
I thought the next thing out of his mouth would be an apology or something just to be nice
