Mohun Bagan start their I-league campaign on a high

by FC Admin January 10, 2016

KOLKATA: Defending champions Mohun Bagan began their Hero I-League campaign with a bang as they beat new entrants Aizawl FC 3-1 at the Barasat Stadium.

A Cornell Glenn brace (6? , 22?) with a Balwant Singh strike in the 29th minute was enough for the Green and Maroon while Pritam Kotal’s own goal in the 16th minute was how the away side had representation on the scoresheet.

While the Mariners had Glenn and Balwant upfront supported on the wings by Kean Lewis and Manish Bhargav, Aizawl had Soiram Poirei in goal with Alfred Jaryan starting upfront.

It was a rollicking start for Sanjoy Sen and his men as Glenn latched onto a cross from the left and made no mistake as he beat Poirei to give the Mariners the lead in the 6th minute.

It was Aizawl who tied the game in the 16th minute when Alfred Jaryan’s shot was initially blocked but was poked into the net by Kotal in what was an own goal, in the process of clearing the ball.

However the home side just took six minutes to reclaim the lead. Balwant turned provider as he darted in down the left before finding Glenn inside the box who turned with the ball before smashing it past Poirei.

It got even better for the home side in the 29th minute as Balwant left the entire Aizawl back line in his wake, before directing his shot to the left corner past a hapless Poirei.

The second half saw further chances from Glenn and Balwant but they failed to find the target.

Meanwhile Jaryan came close in the 67th minute but some smart defending from Kingshuk Debnath saw the chance go begging.

In the 79th minute Albert had a chance but his fierce shot could only graze the outside of the net.

While Sanjoy Sen will be happy to begin his title defense with a win, Manuel Retamero will need to find a way for his team to score.