AGENCIES
NEW DELHI
The second week of Hero I-League saw no change in the league table as Mohun Bagan held the pinnacle spot owing to their back-to-back home wins. Bengaluru FC, the 2013-14 I-League champions, continued to dominate away from home and kept the champions under pressure, who were able to keep their nose in front thanks to superior goal difference.
Week 2 landed a milestone in Indian football with Aizawl, the picturesque city in Mizoram, hosting its first ever Hero I-League match, against mighty Bengaluru FC. Rajiv Gandhi Stadium was flooded with supporters. Aizawl FC spurred valiant football right from the kick-off in front of their supporters, who were reciprocating well from the stands.
Bengaluru FC slowly started to take control and Curtis Osano, the lanky defender, headed it home in the 22nd minute. Aizawl FC didn’t pull the plug rather tried to encash the home advantage as much as they could, only to have left the ground empty-handed. Having flown to Aizawl grabbing all three points from Goa, Bengaluru FC managed to earn another three points from their second match.
Mohun Bagan, defending champions, showed nervy approach in their season opener against Aizawl FC and pushed harder to rearrange themselves in the second outing. Katsumi Yusa, who was handed the armband, showed his cunning goal-scoring ability in the 8th minute. Karanjit fumbled while grabbing the ball and Katsumi rightly headed it home to grab an early lead. Cornell Glen, the Trinidad & Tobago striker, continued his lethal form and earned a penalty while Rocus Lamare brought him down inside the box. The striker found the back of the net from the spot and doubled the lead in the 27th minute.
Luciano Sabrosa, the defender who has donned many Indian club colours before, made his Mohun Bagan debut memorable when he found the roof of the net thanks to his crispy header. Souvik Chakraborty sailed the ball from corner and Luciano, completely unmarked by Salgaocar FC defenders, took a giant leap and scored the third goal for the Mariners.
Bagan started their journey after the breather where they left in the first half. Balwant Singh, the ‘fox in the box’, found the net just 3 minutes into second half from a brilliant header. Salgaocar FC defenders fell aghast and their listless performance frustrated their gaffer once again. Akin to their first outing, Bagan defense started to panic of late and conceded the first goal in the 69th minute, owing to their casual approach.
Darryl Duffy, the astute striker, took complete advantage of mariners’ murky attitude and scored his second goal of Hero I-League. Gurjinder Kumar undoubtedly scored one of the finest goals in the league so far.
