Mohun Bagan thrash Aizawl FC 5-0 to lift their 14th Federation Cup title
Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan produced a scintillating display of attacking football in the final of the Federation Cup against Aizawl FC to lift the trophy with a 5-0 win in Guwahati on Saturday. Sony Norde was at his supreme best as he scored a goal and assisted another to seal a comfortable win.
Mohun Bagan XI: Debjit; Pritam, Kinshuk, Luciano, Dhanachandra; Pronay, Bikramjit, Katsumi, Sony; Jeje, Glen
Aizawl FC XI: Poirei, Lalchawnkima, Lalramchullova, Chigozie, Ricky, Lalruatthara, Zohmingmawia, Kinowaki, Lalmuankima, Joel Sunday, Alfred Jaryan
Mohun Bagan were able to field a full-strength side in the final with Jeje Lalpekhlua and Cornell Glen leading the attack. Aizawl, on the other hand, were missing their skipper David Lalrinmuana, who was serving his suspension having picked up a red card in the second leg of their semifinal tie against Sporting Clube de Goa. However, the Mizoram-based club were able to field their leading goal scorer Joel Sunday, after receiving a go-ahead from AIFF at the start of the match. The Nigerian striker was doubtful for this game, having picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in the last match.
The match went off to a quick start with both the teams creating golden opportunities in the opening four minutes of the game. The first chance fell to Jeje, whose shot was blocked on the line by Lalramchullova. At the other end, Alfred Jaryan nearly cut open the Bagan defence, before Luciano cleared the danger just in time.
End to end action continued after the fast start with the likes of Jeje and Norde stretching the Aizawl defence with their pace. For Aizawl, Japanese midfielder Yuta Kinowaki was dominating the center of the park as Bikramjit and Pronay struggled to contain him.
Glen missed a glorious chance to put his team into the lead from an inch perfect corner by Katsumi. The striker was left unmarked by the Aizawl defence, but his weak shot was easily kept out by Poirei in goal.
Despite a lot of adventurous play from both teams, Aizawl and Bagan went into the halftime break tied at 0-0. However, the Kolkata giants did not waste a lot of time after the restart to, finally, take the lead the in the game.
The goal arrived from another fluid move, and it started from Bikramjit's lovely chipped pass into the Aizawl box. Jeje chested the ball down into the path Sony Norde, who made no mistake in guiding it past the hapless goalkeeper in the 48th minute.
Ten minutes later, defender Dhanachandra Singh doubled the lead with a fantastic leap, heading a Katsumi corner, and Aizawl fans were silenced in the stands. As the Reds began to push forward to get a goal back, they left more space at the back for Jeje and Norde to exploit, and in the 73rd minute the former made it 3-0.
The Indian international was perfectly set up by a back heel from Glen, and Jeje curled the ball into the bottom corner of the let, before wheeling away in celebration. Bagan began to run riot towards the end of the game, and a hapless Aizawl side conceded the fourth goal in the 82nd minute. Norde produced a moment of brilliance and ran through the Aizawl defence down the left wing, before pulling it back for Bikramjit, who tucked the ball into an empty net at the far post.
Debjit produced a couple of fine saves at the other end to keep his clean sheet, while the Mohun Bagan attackers heaped more misery on the recently relegated I-League club. Jeje added the cherry on the cake in the dying moments of the game with his second goal of the match. Substitute Azharuddin Mullick produced a lovely cross from the left wing, and the striker was at hand to guide it into the net.
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