Mohun Bagan sail smoothly past Mohammedan in their opening encounter

2nd August, VYBK Stadium, Kolkata: Yesterday’s mini-derby saw the Mariner’s sail past the Black Panthers in a cherishable fashion. The opening encounter at the mecca of football saw the national club of India, Mohun Bagan emerging triumphant against the prestigious Mohammedan SC by a 2-0 scoreline.

From the start of the match, Mohun Bagan was the dominant side on the pitch. The opening goal came within the first few touches. Bagan claimed a free-kick within the starting minute. A set-piece by the no. 10, Jseba Beitia from the right flank saw the match hero Salva Chamorro, no. 9 putting it into the net via a commendable header.

Mohammedan got shook as they got a cut within the starting minute. The nervous outfit was highly dominated by their opponents. The Spanish midfield general Jseba Beitia had a dream start for the Mariners as he took command of the midfield activities. Youngsters Romario Jesuraj and Nongdamba Naorem produced moments of brilliance in the wings. Veterans Ashutosh Mehta and Dhanachandra Singh were playing their part as wing banks. During the 21st minute of the match, a cross was played by the Mohun Bagan full-back, Ashutosh Mehta, whose perfect ball met Chamorro’s head to give Mohun Bagan a two-goal lead.

Mohun Bagan’s favourable scoreline and dominance allowed them to keep the ball and play amongst themselves.The first half concluded with a 2-0 trail for Mohammedan.

During the second half of the encounter, as many as 3-5 chances were created by the black and white brigade but none of them fetched the results. Mohammedan SC nearly scored their first goal as Arthur Kouassi’s header was kept at bay by Bagan’s shot-stopper, Shilton Paul. During the dying moments of the match, Tirthankar was blessed with a one on one situation against Shilton Paul which he failed to convert.

The match ended with a two-goal lead in favour of Mohun Bagan. For the first time in recent years, Bagan had such a memorable season opener.

Coach Kibu Vicuna was very optimistic about the start as he quoted, “I want to congratulate the supporters who came here. It was a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium. It was the first match and during the upcoming games, we will get fitter physically. We have some things to improve and yet there were some positives from the match.”

However, Kibu feels the team needs development and betterment on all the aspects of the game. He said that the team will improve eventually on their physical, technical and tactical aspects as the season proceeds. As a season opener, Mohun Bagan had a great start to their campaign. The Mariners will be up against ATK in their next match at their home ground on August 8th.

On the other side of the coin, Mohammedan SC coach, Mr Subrata Bhattacharya was absent during both the pre and post-match conferences. Neither was he seen active at the player’s box during the match. Mohammedan team manager handled the matter quite unprofessionally and said that the coach was not ready to attend the post-match conference so early after the match.

Mohammedan SC will face Indian Navy in their next encounter on 10th of August at the Mohun Bagan Ground. They need to win the upcoming match to claim a spot at the knockout stages.