Norde strikes in Bagan’s victory

Kolkata, Jan. 12: Sony Norde once again came to Mohun Bagan’s rescue as the star Haitian winger struck from a solo run to script a hard-fought 1-0 win over title contenders Neroca FC in an I-League clash here on Saturday.

Both the teams tried their best to go one up but Mohun Bagan lacked cohesion while the Imphal outfit lacked the finishing touch.

But Norde had other ideas as the Mariners captain struck in the 79th minute with a clinical finish to avenge their 1-2 defeat in the first leg in front of 7500-odd fans at the Salt Lake Stadium. Norde capitalised on a lovely midfield placing from Darren Caldeira and made a solo run past the Neroca defence before slamming past the right of an outstretched Lalit Thapa to the far bottom corner.

This was Mohun Bagan’s second successive win under newly appointed head coach Khalid Jamil, who took over the reins from

● Shilton Paul stood tall in the first half to deny visitors’ attempts.

● Norde was denied second goal by alert goalkeeper Lalit Thapa.

Shankarlal after they fourth match

Mohun Bagan climbed past arch rivals East Bengal to fifth spot with

21 points, giving them the much needed oxygen before the return leg derby on January 27. The former champions had lost the first leg derby 2-3.

Mohun Bagan also denied the last season’s runners-up Neroca an opportunity to join Chennai City at the top of the table, and the Imphal outfit remained on fourth place with 21 points from

12 matches. A string of impressive saves by Mohun Bagan custodian Shilton Paul kept the visitors at bay. Chakraborty lost their of the season.