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East Bengal 1-1 Mohun Bagan – Odafa's Solo Effort Rescues A Point For The Mariners
Trevor Morgan's men pegged back by the Nigerian's strike early in the second half as the two teams share the spoils in an entertaining Kolkatan derby.....
By Debjit Lahiri
AIFF
East Bengal failed to make their superiority in possession count, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Mohun Bagan in an entertaining I-League clash at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
Robin Singh beat the offside trap laid by the Mariners and slotted past Sangram Mukherjee in goal to give Trevor Morgan's side the lead. Odafa Okolie though, replied for Mohun Bagan early in the second half with a solo effort to level the scoreline.
The derby kicked off with a minute's silence for the tragedy in Egypt following the match between Al Masry and Al Ahly.
Trevor Morgan fielded two strikers upfront as Robin Singh lined up alongside Tolgay Ozbey while Mohun Bagan were boosted by the return in the starting line up of star man Sunil Chhetri. He was as expected, partnering Okolie in attack.
It was always going to be a match of nerves on the field, as was evident when Harmanjot Khabra flew in with a reckless tackle on Hudson Lima. The former was lucky not to have been given a more serious punishment and he escaped with a yellow card.
The first notable chance came in the 10th minute, when a lofted ball towards Sunil Chhetri on the right flank saw the Indian attacker control the ball beautifully and strike from the edge of the penalty area. However, he failed to trouble the goal-keeper as the ball flew well over the top of the bar.
In the 16th minute Trevor Morgan found himself in a spot of bother as Gurwinder Singh left the field injured. He was replaced by former India U-23 captain Raju Gaikwad.
The first 25 minute saw no team creating any clear cut openings, with East Bengal slightly edging out their arch rivals in possessional dominance.
In the 29th minute a East bengal freequick saw Robin Singh head down the ball beautifully for Tolgay Ozbey who miskicked his shot towards goal.
Moments later a long ball found Tolgay again, who dribbled past three defenders, only to strike a feeble shot which was closed down by the defense. One felt he could have passed the ball to Robin Singh who would have had a clear sight on goal.
However, East Bengal did not have to pay for that misjudgement as soon after, Harmanjot Khabra found Robin Singh with an excellent long ball in the 33rd minute and the latter found the finish with a delightful right footer. There was a hint of offside on Robin Singh, but television replays suggested that the linesman might just have been correct.
Just at the stroke of half-time, goal-scorer Robin Singh headed in towards goal with a powerful header from a corner, but Mohun Bagan goal-keeper Sangram Mukherjee made a decent save. The scoreline remained 1-0 to East Bengal at the break.
Two minutes after the restart Okolie Odafe dribbled past Mehtab Hussain and his shot towards goal was deflected off Raju Gaikwad into the goal for an equalizer.
In the 51st minute, a corner from Robert Lalthlamuana found Tolgay Ozbey, who with the goal gaping in front of him, put a free header wide of the target.
In a bid to push for a winner, Mohun Bagan brought in Jose Ramirez Barreto for defensive midfielder Daniell Zeleny in the 56th minute. It was all end to end stuff from there on but neither team could force a goal that would have put them ahead.
In the 65th minute a superb long ball from Okolie Odafe found Jewel Raja who had made a equally excllent run from the left flank. However, his shot on goal was blocked by the defenders. At the other end, from that very run of play, it was Penn Orji who found himself in the box. The Nigerian dribbled with the ball into the box but delayed his shot a tad too long, allowing the East bengal defenders to cover in.
In the 70th minute, East Bengal were forced to make yet another subsitution as Robert Lalthlamuana was left injured and he was replaced by Saumik Dey. Seconds later Barreto pulled his hamstring and was strechered off for Ashim Biswas to come in.
In the 77th minute, Orji found Tolgay with a through ball and he made no mistake in going past the goal-keeper and slotting the ball home. However, the linesman called for offside, much to the distraught of the East Bengal supporters.
In the 86th minute a long ranger from Khanthang Paite found the target but Sangram once again made a decent save. 2 minutes later, Tolgay muscled past the defenders and hit in a low cross. Anwar Ali made a crucial interception to deny a tap in for the on-rushing Paite. Moments later, Hudson Lima was stretched off with yet another injury and Mohun bagan were down to ten men as they had already made their 3 substitutions.
In the end, no team could manage to find the winner, as the two teams ended the match all square at 1-1 after 90 minutes. The draw does not help the cause of any team, as the result leaves Dempo 5 points ahead at the top of the table, with a game in hand.
Robin Singh beat the offside trap laid by the Mariners and slotted past Sangram Mukherjee in goal to give Trevor Morgan's side the lead. Odafa Okolie though, replied for Mohun Bagan early in the second half with a solo effort to level the scoreline.
The derby kicked off with a minute's silence for the tragedy in Egypt following the match between Al Masry and Al Ahly.
Trevor Morgan fielded two strikers upfront as Robin Singh lined up alongside Tolgay Ozbey while Mohun Bagan were boosted by the return in the starting line up of star man Sunil Chhetri. He was as expected, partnering Okolie in attack.
It was always going to be a match of nerves on the field, as was evident when Harmanjot Khabra flew in with a reckless tackle on Hudson Lima. The former was lucky not to have been given a more serious punishment and he escaped with a yellow card.
The first notable chance came in the 10th minute, when a lofted ball towards Sunil Chhetri on the right flank saw the Indian attacker control the ball beautifully and strike from the edge of the penalty area. However, he failed to trouble the goal-keeper as the ball flew well over the top of the bar.
In the 16th minute Trevor Morgan found himself in a spot of bother as Gurwinder Singh left the field injured. He was replaced by former India U-23 captain Raju Gaikwad.
The first 25 minute saw no team creating any clear cut openings, with East Bengal slightly edging out their arch rivals in possessional dominance.
In the 29th minute a East bengal freequick saw Robin Singh head down the ball beautifully for Tolgay Ozbey who miskicked his shot towards goal.
Moments later a long ball found Tolgay again, who dribbled past three defenders, only to strike a feeble shot which was closed down by the defense. One felt he could have passed the ball to Robin Singh who would have had a clear sight on goal.
However, East Bengal did not have to pay for that misjudgement as soon after, Harmanjot Khabra found Robin Singh with an excellent long ball in the 33rd minute and the latter found the finish with a delightful right footer. There was a hint of offside on Robin Singh, but television replays suggested that the linesman might just have been correct.
Just at the stroke of half-time, goal-scorer Robin Singh headed in towards goal with a powerful header from a corner, but Mohun Bagan goal-keeper Sangram Mukherjee made a decent save. The scoreline remained 1-0 to East Bengal at the break.
Two minutes after the restart Okolie Odafe dribbled past Mehtab Hussain and his shot towards goal was deflected off Raju Gaikwad into the goal for an equalizer.
In the 51st minute, a corner from Robert Lalthlamuana found Tolgay Ozbey, who with the goal gaping in front of him, put a free header wide of the target.
In a bid to push for a winner, Mohun Bagan brought in Jose Ramirez Barreto for defensive midfielder Daniell Zeleny in the 56th minute. It was all end to end stuff from there on but neither team could force a goal that would have put them ahead.
In the 65th minute a superb long ball from Okolie Odafe found Jewel Raja who had made a equally excllent run from the left flank. However, his shot on goal was blocked by the defenders. At the other end, from that very run of play, it was Penn Orji who found himself in the box. The Nigerian dribbled with the ball into the box but delayed his shot a tad too long, allowing the East bengal defenders to cover in.
In the 70th minute, East Bengal were forced to make yet another subsitution as Robert Lalthlamuana was left injured and he was replaced by Saumik Dey. Seconds later Barreto pulled his hamstring and was strechered off for Ashim Biswas to come in.
In the 77th minute, Orji found Tolgay with a through ball and he made no mistake in going past the goal-keeper and slotting the ball home. However, the linesman called for offside, much to the distraught of the East Bengal supporters.
In the 86th minute a long ranger from Khanthang Paite found the target but Sangram once again made a decent save. 2 minutes later, Tolgay muscled past the defenders and hit in a low cross. Anwar Ali made a crucial interception to deny a tap in for the on-rushing Paite. Moments later, Hudson Lima was stretched off with yet another injury and Mohun bagan were down to ten men as they had already made their 3 substitutions.
In the end, no team could manage to find the winner, as the two teams ended the match all square at 1-1 after 90 minutes. The draw does not help the cause of any team, as the result leaves Dempo 5 points ahead at the top of the table, with a game in hand.
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| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Martins Ranti Soleye
Striker Dempo SC |
32 | 5 |
|
Odafa Onyeka Okolie
Striker Mohun Bagan |
26 | 5 |
|
Tolgay Ozbey
Striker East Bengal |
18 | 1 |
|
James Moga
Striker SC Goa |
16 | 0 |
|
Mandjou Keita
Striker Pune FC |
15 | 3 |