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Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong FC played out a goalless stalemate at the Barasat Stadium, Kolkata. It was a nail biting encounter for the entire 90 minutes as both the teams attacked with great vigour and intensity. Unfortunately, both sides missed a series of opportunities which resulted in a no goals affair. Mohun Bagan custodian Debjit Majumder picked up yet another Hero of the match award for an outstanding performance in goal.
Sanjoy Sen replaced two players from the previous games. Unimpressive Jeje Lalpekhlua and Denson Devadas made way for Balwant Singh and Lalkamal Bhowmick respectively, while Shehnaj Singh came back to the starting XI after a suspension replacing Bikramjit Singh who was shown a red card in the previous encounter. Thangboi Singto just made one change into the winning team which thumped Mumbai FC 6-0 last week. Uilliams Silva replaced Boithang Haokip.
Mohun Bagan and Lajong opted for attacking strategy from the very beginning of the match. Lajong won a corner just a minute after kick-off. Mohun Bagan fans came in numbers to support their team and the crowd witnessed an end to end game of attacking football. As the game progressed, Mohun Bagan slowly took the control of the game.
Shillong Lajong would have been up by a goal in the 20th minute had it not been for Debjit Majumder’s brilliance. Cornell Glen got an opportunity inside the penalty box after a well-coordinated move by Lajong. Glen jolted a shot which was saved magnificently by the Bagan custodian.
Both the teams thereafter got a series of chances but they blew them away. The teams could have scored a minimum two goals each by the end of first half. In the 44th minute, the Trinidad and Tobago international Cornell Glen got the best opportunity of the day when he was one on one with Bagan goalkeeper. Glen was about to unleash a shot when Majumder came forward swiftly and pounced on the ball to save it.
Mohun Bagan got an early opportunity in the second half. They attacked in numbers which resulted in good chance. Pierre Boya’s cross inside the box was headed by Balwant Singh, unfortunately, it went just wide.
Shillong Lajong came back strongly and imposed pressure on the Mohun Bagan’s defense but due to some exceptional defending by Bello Razaq, the away side was denied a goal.
In the 77th minute, Penn Orji played a defense piercing pass towards Len Doungel. The young forward was in a one on one situation with Debjit Majumder. Len just blew away the golden chance by shooting the ball wide.
Overall, it was an exciting encounter between the two sides. Mohun Bagan remains unbeaten after 11 matches in the Hero I-League and is comfortably placed at the top of the table.
