I-League 2015/16: Mohun Bagan ease past hapless Salgaocar to top spot
Defending Champions Mohun Bagan made it two wins out of two in the season after thrashing a hapless Salgaocar side 4-2 at the Barasat Stadium on Saturday to regain the top spot in the table. Goals from captain Katsumi, Glen, Luciano Sabrosa and Balwant Singh made it a comfortable afternoon for the Champions while Daryl Duffy and Gurjinder Kumar scored the consolation goals for the away side.
Starting lineups:
Mohun Bagan: Debjit(GK); Kotal, Kinshuk, Luciano, Dhana Lei; Azharuddin, Souvik, Pronay, Katsumi(C); Balwant, Glen
Salgaocar XI: Karanjit(GK)(C); Keenan, Gurjinder, Augustin, Leny;
After winning their opening match against Aizawl FC 3-1, Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen made four changes to the starting line-up bringing in Debjit Majumder, Azharuddin Mallick and new signings Luciano Sabrosa and Pronay Halder for Shilton Paul, Kean Lewis, Sanjay Balmuchu and Manish Bhargav. Bagan also altered their formation from the last match by moving to a traditional 4-4-2 formation from 4-3-3.
On the other hand, Salgaocar coach Malky Thomson made only change to the starting XI from the defeat to Bengaluru FC in the opening weekend and brought in defender Leny Pereira for Nicolas Colaco.
The defending champions were quick off the mark but had their penalty appeal turned down inside the first minute. Bagan’s continuous attacks on the Salgaocar goal found its way into the net in the ninth minute with captain Yusa Katsumi‘s cheeky strike from inside the box. Dhanchandra Singh’s long throw went straight to Karanjit in goal, but butter fingers from the custodian let Katsumi with a chance to put it into the goal with a header.
With Mohun Bagan using Cornell Glen and Balwant Singh as the spearheads of the attack, Salgaocar opted to play a dangerous high line in their defence with the coach asking them to “push up” in every occasion. However, it backfired for the Goan team after a header from Balwant found Glen with space to run at the goal. The lanky striker's gallop towards the goal was stopped by Gurjinder Kumar inside the box with an unwarranted push. The referee’s signal towards the penalty spot caused a heated discussion between him and the Salgaocar players before Cornell Glen stepped up and smashed the ball past Karanjit into the roof of the net to double Bagan’s lead in the 28th minute.
The agony for the side from Goa increased in the 33rd minute with Bagan going 3-0 up after a header from debutant Sabrosa went past the Salgaocar goalie. Katsumi’s corner evaded everyone only to find Sabrosa at the far corner, and the defender’s bullet header from a difficult angle went into the goal to add to Salgaocar’s misery.
Trailing 0-3, Malky Thompson brought on striker Thongkhosiem Haokip for his debut for the Goan side in place of midfielder Alesh Sawant to partner Daryl Duffy at the top. Refusing to learn from their mistakes, Salgoacar persisted with the high line in defence and they almost went 4-0 down before the break with Balwant Singh getting a free run at the defence. Only Karanjit Singh’s save at the near post helped the Greens from further embarrassment.
However, it was eventually 4-0 within minutes into the second half. Yusa Katsumi’s out-swinging corner in the 48th minute found Balwant Singh in the box, and the striker’s diving header crashed into the net giving Karanjit in the goal no chance. Bagan’s all four goals came from set-pieces showcasing the Goan side’s weakness in the area.
Against the run of play, which was dominated by the Kolkata side, Salgoacar pulled one back with a goal from their star striker Daryl Duffy. Jackichand Singh sent in a diagonal ball into the middle of the box, and the Scotsman slotted it past Debjit in goal much to the ire of the home fans, who called for an off-side.
With the three points confirmed, Bagan slowed down their attacks and focussed on their defence in the last half hour. However, Salgaocar added one more to their tally in the 86th minute with defender Gurjinder Kumar smashing in a shot from the corner.
Bagan faced some more fight-back from the Goan side in the last ten minutes but held their fort secure to take three points and go top of the table before the all important ‘Kolkata-derby’ next week.
Salgocar’s inability to deal with set-pieces and their failed ploy to trap Bagan players offside with a high line in defence would cause coach Malky Thomson headaches as they suffered their second consecutive defeat of the season.
(Read: I-League 2015/16: Osano header helps Bengaluru edge Aizawl in close encounter)