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Round Six Comment: No Answers To Our Questions
The sixth round of the I-League still doesn't give one a clue of where this league is heading...
07-Nov-2009 9:53:10 AM
The I-League has been a lot of things so far. Breath-taking, entertaining, mundane, comical and much more, but the best word to describe it would be 'unpredictable'. And keeping in line with that very theme, round six of India's top flight was more like six rounds of madness compressed into one.
The round began with a tame draw at Phagwara, with the game between JCT and Mahindra ending goalless. JCT have really struggled for goals in the last few games, after they scored seven in their first two outings. They've scored only two in the four games since, and haven't won any of them. They're still playing well, but with Sukhwinder leaving too, one hopes they don't implode.
Mahindra, on the other hand, are dropping too many points for their liking. They've been impressive in almost every game, and are creating enough chances to score 4-5 goals regularly, but they aren't taking them. They dominated the game against JCT for long periods, but once again, have only a point to show for their efforts. Having said that, a point in Phagwara is always a good result.
The next day saw a double-header, with Air India hosting a below-par Churchill Brothers, and Pune FC hosting the mighty Dempo. The Mumbai clash was quite the edge-of-the-seat thriller, with the game swinging pendulum-ously from end to end. Opara and Dada Nabeel have both been impressive for the Mumbai side so far, and both found the scoresheet. However, it was Kalu who stole the show, with two well-taken goals, including one from distance. The late winner came from noone else but Odafa, who made it 3-2 with a few minutes remaining.
The late kickoff wasn't a bad game either, and threatened to result in Pune's first win of the season, until Anthony Pereira equalized at the death to help resume normal service for the Pune side. Derrick Pereira's men have been impressive, solid, and quite hard to beat, but they still haven't found a way to win an I-League game. With five draws out of six, times are getting desperate in Pune. Dempo, on the other hand, wont be too disappointed, as Pune are no pushovers at home.
The next day was an I-League bonanza, of sorts, with all of four matches being played. It's the kind of day we dread as journalists, and you love as football fans. Up in Shillong, it were the fans who entertained themselves more than the game did. The second goalless draw of the round, the match failed to bring out a good performance from the home side. Salgaocar dominated, and would be ruing the fact that they didn't get a win. One thing's for sure, the pitch at the JLN Stadium needs to be relaid, and fast.
Sporting are going through a tough time, as they lie bottom of the table, so they had it all to do against a rampant Chirag United side, who possess the most dangerous strike duo on current form. Josimar and Edmilson started again, but the Goans were a tad more resolute this time, and held the Kolkata side to a 1-1 draw, which meant that Dempo remained top at the time. Will the result be the turning point for Sporting, or is it just a false dawn? Mohun Bagan will find that out in round seven.
Speaking of Mohun Bagan, they came into their home match against Mumbai FC with three wins on the bounce, hoping to maybe go level on points at the top, but were undone by two flukey Mumbai goals, which the home side had presented them, in the first half. Shilton Paul had a shocker of a game, while Mumbai defended superbly throughout the game, held on the lead despite Bagan reducing the deficit by one in the second half, and earned their first win in the league.
The previous results in the round had gone pretty much to plan. The match that could have ended in draws ended so, while champions Churchill Brothers won away at Air India. And then came Bagan's result, which messed it all up again. It was a day of teams registering their first victories, though, as East Bengal got the three points at long last, beating Viva Kerala 1-0 in Kozhikode.
The torch of unpredictability was duly carried through by the sixth round, with biggies like Churchill and East Bengal winning, but an in-form side like Mohun Bagan losing at home to struggling Mumbai FC. Three draws in the round seems a regular practice this season, but we still don't know what to expect from any side at the moment. Who are the genuine title contenders? Who are relegation favourites? Which teams will turn their form around? Which teams are on the brink of a poor run? There are questions aplenty, many arising from each and every game, but no answers as yet.
And not that we're complaining. It's more fun this way.
Atishay Agarwal
The round began with a tame draw at Phagwara, with the game between JCT and Mahindra ending goalless. JCT have really struggled for goals in the last few games, after they scored seven in their first two outings. They've scored only two in the four games since, and haven't won any of them. They're still playing well, but with Sukhwinder leaving too, one hopes they don't implode.
Mahindra, on the other hand, are dropping too many points for their liking. They've been impressive in almost every game, and are creating enough chances to score 4-5 goals regularly, but they aren't taking them. They dominated the game against JCT for long periods, but once again, have only a point to show for their efforts. Having said that, a point in Phagwara is always a good result.
Fizzling out?
The next day saw a double-header, with Air India hosting a below-par Churchill Brothers, and Pune FC hosting the mighty Dempo. The Mumbai clash was quite the edge-of-the-seat thriller, with the game swinging pendulum-ously from end to end. Opara and Dada Nabeel have both been impressive for the Mumbai side so far, and both found the scoresheet. However, it was Kalu who stole the show, with two well-taken goals, including one from distance. The late winner came from noone else but Odafa, who made it 3-2 with a few minutes remaining.
The late kickoff wasn't a bad game either, and threatened to result in Pune's first win of the season, until Anthony Pereira equalized at the death to help resume normal service for the Pune side. Derrick Pereira's men have been impressive, solid, and quite hard to beat, but they still haven't found a way to win an I-League game. With five draws out of six, times are getting desperate in Pune. Dempo, on the other hand, wont be too disappointed, as Pune are no pushovers at home.
The next day was an I-League bonanza, of sorts, with all of four matches being played. It's the kind of day we dread as journalists, and you love as football fans. Up in Shillong, it were the fans who entertained themselves more than the game did. The second goalless draw of the round, the match failed to bring out a good performance from the home side. Salgaocar dominated, and would be ruing the fact that they didn't get a win. One thing's for sure, the pitch at the JLN Stadium needs to be relaid, and fast.
The pitch lets the Shillong fans down..
Sporting are going through a tough time, as they lie bottom of the table, so they had it all to do against a rampant Chirag United side, who possess the most dangerous strike duo on current form. Josimar and Edmilson started again, but the Goans were a tad more resolute this time, and held the Kolkata side to a 1-1 draw, which meant that Dempo remained top at the time. Will the result be the turning point for Sporting, or is it just a false dawn? Mohun Bagan will find that out in round seven.
Speaking of Mohun Bagan, they came into their home match against Mumbai FC with three wins on the bounce, hoping to maybe go level on points at the top, but were undone by two flukey Mumbai goals, which the home side had presented them, in the first half. Shilton Paul had a shocker of a game, while Mumbai defended superbly throughout the game, held on the lead despite Bagan reducing the deficit by one in the second half, and earned their first win in the league.
Nidhinlal put in a sterling display, unlike Shilton
The previous results in the round had gone pretty much to plan. The match that could have ended in draws ended so, while champions Churchill Brothers won away at Air India. And then came Bagan's result, which messed it all up again. It was a day of teams registering their first victories, though, as East Bengal got the three points at long last, beating Viva Kerala 1-0 in Kozhikode.
The torch of unpredictability was duly carried through by the sixth round, with biggies like Churchill and East Bengal winning, but an in-form side like Mohun Bagan losing at home to struggling Mumbai FC. Three draws in the round seems a regular practice this season, but we still don't know what to expect from any side at the moment. Who are the genuine title contenders? Who are relegation favourites? Which teams will turn their form around? Which teams are on the brink of a poor run? There are questions aplenty, many arising from each and every game, but no answers as yet.
And not that we're complaining. It's more fun this way.
Atishay Agarwal
Inside Goal.Com
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