I-league: Bagan held by Neroca
KOLKATA: Mohun Bagan were held to a goalless draw by debutants Neroca FC in an I-league match here on Tuesday.
Much to the delight of the Mariners’ fans, Sony Norde and Ansumana Kromah were back after they saw their side share honours with Shillong Lajong. The duo suffered injuries against Churchill Brothers.
Eze Kingsley was suspended and Rana Gharami made his first I-league start with the Green and Maroons. Dipendu Dowary was relegated to the bench while the unimpressive Naro Hari Shrestha was chucked out of the 18-man squad for Azharuddin Mallick. Rana Gharami was adjudged the Hero of the Match for his impressive performance.
Gift Raikhan introduced Akhlidin Israilov for Pritam Singh behind striker Felix Chidi. While Subash Singh and Gopi Singh flanked him, Fabien Vorbe and Saran Singh acted as the shield above the defence.
Aryn Williams continued to play as a makeshift centre-half but Gouramangi Singh was back on the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury that struck him in pre-season.
After his first minute shot that was saved by a diving Lalit Thapa, Norde appeared to be not completely fit as Aser Dipanda took all of the subsequent set-pieces. A couple that he missed could have been capitalised by the Haitian on another day.
The orange-clad side appeared at ease as they dictated proceeding from the centre of the park. Subash Singh and Gopi Singh interchanged flanks regularly to flummox the Mohun Bagan fullbacks.
The Manipuri outfit looked content with the draw but Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen will be worried about his captain Norde’s injury after he was stretchered out of the field, further aggravating his knock on the left knee.
CHENNAI CITY WIN
VASCO: Chennai City scored a goal in each half as they beat Churchill Brothers 2-0 to record their first win. Chennai City dominated the match and created several scoring chances. Jean Michael Joachim (45+1 minute) and Murilo Almedia (51st minute) were the scorers for Chennai City. Chennai City have four points from five matches, while Churchill Brothers remained winless at the bottom of the table.