Mohun Bagan hammer Shillong Lajong, go third
SHILLONG: Mohun Bagan put on a spectacular performance as they grabbed a 3-0 victory against Shillong Lajong at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Saturday.
Asier Pierrick Dipanda (30’), Akram Moghrabi (86’) and Sheikh Faiaz (89’) scored the goals for the Kolkata side to leapfrog their arch-rivals East Bengal to the third spot on the table with 20 points from 12 outings.
Lajong’s best chance came in the dying minutes of the first half when Samuel Lalmuanpuia sent a volley which was acrobatically saved by Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul.
AIZAWL HELD
CHENNAI: Yugo Kobayashi and Beautin Antony scored in either half as Chennai City and Aizawl played out a draw on Saturday. Aizawl took the lead in the third minute. Andrei Ionescu got past his marker and squared a cross to pick out Kobayashi who scored.
The home side had a lucky escape when Ionescu’s effort from outside the box struck the crossbar and went out.
David Lalrinmuana’s freekick into the box met Yugo Kobayashi’s feet but the woodwork denied Aizawl yet again.
Failure to convert chances hurt Aizawl as Chennai snatched an equaliser in the 73rd minute. Laldinliana’s failure to intercept a through-ball allowed substitute Beautin Antony to drive home.
BENGAL DESPERATE KOLKATA: East Bengal will look to recreate their winning formula after being winless for four games when they host Indian Arrows . The second half fightback against leaders Minerva Punjab in their last match will give the home side a huge confidence boost coming into the game. Incidentally, East Bengal’s last win in the league came against Arrows when two early first-half strikes sealed three points in January.
NEROCA FAVOURITES IMPHAL: NEROCA will have the opportunity to leapfrog table toppers Minerva Punjab when they host Gokulam Kerala on Sunday.
Back-to-back losses at home somewhat derailed the Manipurbased side’s surge to the top after they went nine games unbeaten.
GOA VS NORTHEAST MARGAO: Having lost to Mumbai City in their last game, Goa will look to get their campaign back on track when they take on Northeast United on Sunday. A win can see them go fourth. Currently sixth, on 19 points from 11 games, Goa have two games in hand over Pune and three over Jamshedpur.