Mohun Bagan has it easy

By Our Sports Reporter

CALCUTTA MARCH 4. Displaying confidence, coordination and class, Mohun Bagan easily defeated JCT Mills Phagwara 3-1 in a 19th round National Football League match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. The win took Bagan a step closer to the title as it now leads the league table with 41 points from 19 matches. For JCT this was its second consecutive `away' loss. It has 30 points from 19 matches.

It was Mohun Bagan's imported stars in the forwardline who realised the victory yet again. The trio of Stephan Abarowei (Nigeria), Igor Shkvirin (Uzbekistan) and Rameirez Barreto (Brazil) gave a brilliant display of ball-control and passing that had JCT in disarray and the home team had little difficulty in taking another step towards title.

The first goal came in the 19th minute when Shkvirin scored from a penalty after his team-mate Abarowei was pulled down inside the box. The early goal enhanced Mohun Bagan's tempo and with its Brazilian winger Rameirez Barreto playing a selfless game withdrawing himself mobilise the moves upfront alongside schemer Basudev Mondal, the home team's thrusts became more intense. The second goal resulted soon after and Mohun Bagan increased the margin through Rajendra Pratap Singh who benefitted from a mess- up by JCT defence in the 34th minute to finish with a timely angled left footer that found the corridor into the goal.

The second session too saw Mohun Bagan keeping up the intensity of its attacks and had centre-half Mondal score from a long- ranger in the 59th minute to end JCT's hopes of a recovery. For JCT Hardeep Gill reduced the margin stealing in to score off a 75th minute cross by substitute Jaswant Singh, just when the home team appeared to relax its grip on the match, sensing victory.

It turned out to be a one-sided affair and JCT seemed to be a bit shaky with its defensive line-up as the team often faltered in its rearguard action. The absence of its regular stopper Daljit Singh, who had to sit out owing to two bookings, seemed to have taken its toll as Ranjit Singh and Deepak Mondal failed to combine effectively as the two stopper-backs. The midfield action for JCT too was limited as its key linkmen Hardeep Sangha and Hardip Saini looked subdued against an opposition that was allowing little space.

The 19th minute goal from penalty came after the home side had come close to scoring twice but the goal remained elusive as Abarowei's tap on a Singh cross went wide in the fourth minute while Shkvirin's volley in the 12th minute was cleared from the goalmouth by Deepak Mondal. Dipendu Biswas, replacing Barreto in the 83rd minute, too had his share of chance but his half-volley on Abdul Khaleq (substituting Singh) cross came off the cross- piece.

Mohun Bagan's R.P. Singh scoring the team's second goal past JCT defenders Sukhdev Singh (14) and Harinder Singh in a National League Football match in Calcutta on Saturday.

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