Clinical Bagan thrash profligate Lajong to enter Super Cup semis
BHUBANESWAR: Mohun Bagan dished out an impressive performance to beat fellow I-league side Shillong Lajong FC 3-1 and enter the semi-finals of Super Cup here on Wednesday.
Goals from S K Faiaz (12th minute), Nikhil Kadam (22nd) and an own goal by Shillong Lajong’s Liberian defender Laurence Doe (60th) ensured Mohun Bagan a place in the semi-finals at the Kalinga Stadium. Abdoulaye Koffi scored the lone goal for Shillong Lajong in the 28th minute.
In the semi-finals on Tuesday, the Kolkata side will take on winners of the quarter-final game between Bengaluru FC and Neroca FC.
Mohun Bagan began with more aggression even as the first shot at the goal came off the feet of Samuel for Shillong Lajong as early as the fourth minute.
Faiaz then gave Mohun Bagan the lead in the 12th minute. Dipanda Dicka was the supplier as Faiaz chest-trapped the ball down and then fired it past Shillong golie Lachenpa to the right corner of the net.
Ten minutes later, Doe headed a Faiaz cross clear, but only as far as Nikhil, 30-35 yards outside the Shillong penatly area. Nikhil trapped and unleashed a curling left footer which beat Lachenpa all ends up and went in off the underside of the bar and came out.
After some initial confusion, referee Santhosh Bhaskaran rightly blew to signal Mohun Bagan were 2-0 ahead.
The excitement continued and in the 25th minute, Bhaskaran adjudged Kingshuk Debnath to have brought down Samuel inside the Mohun Bagan box and pointed to the dreaded spot. Samuel’s shot was saved by the experienced Mohun Bagan keeper Shilton Paul.
In the 28th minute, Shillong pulled one goal back, when Koffi found the target off a pass by Samuel.
Shillong Lajong’s game was in the ascendancy in the first quarter of the second half and they created a few good chances. All that changed in the 60th minute, when right back Arijit Bagui floated in a cross aimed at Moghrabi inside the Lajong box. Both Akram and Doe went for the ball with different purposes. Unfortunately for Doe, his header in trying to clear the ball lodged inside the Shillong Lajong goal.
The goal came against the run of play but Mohun Bagan took complete control of the game after this. Shillong Lajong tried to put together a few attacks in the last moments of the game and Abdoulaye Koffi got a chance to pull back a goal in the injury time as well but Mohun Bagan managed to hold on till the end.
JAMSHEDPUR FC EYE REVENGE AGAINST GOA
BHUBANESWAR: Having lost the last time, Jamshedpur FC will look to settle scores when they lock horns with fellow Indian Super League side FC Goa in a Super Cup quarter-final on Thursday.
“Revenge is not the right word which I should say. We just have another opportunity to try our level best and win tomorrow’s game,” said Jamshedpur coach Steve Coppell.
After upsetting I-league champions Minerva Punjab FC in the round of 16, the ISL debutants will go all guns blazing against FC Goa.