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Mohun Bagan showed sparks of brilliance as they outclassed Tollygunge Agragami 3-0 on Sunday evening under a floodlights-lit Mohun Bagan ground. The onus was on the players to perform as per expectations after a 1-1 draw against Peerless SC in the last match. Britto PM played his first match for the Mariners and impressed with his attacking skills.
"It is a very big experience to play for such a big club. I previously played in Kerala (Eagles FC) and Goa (Churchill Brothers), but this is big," said the winger after the match. Playing for a new club is never easy, but Britto feels he needs a few more games to get used to the squad. Regarding the matter, he said," I am playing after 2 months, it's the first time for Mohun Bagan. It is difficult to understand the team (in the first match), but I gave my best."
After a miss from the spot in the 11th minute, the green and maroon brigade slowly recovered in the first half. Britto was the surprise package in the match; making his first appearance for the Mariners he combined well with the others. Bagan could have been ahead in the 26th minute if Daniel Bidemi hadn’t intervened in the goal line.
The lead came in the 30th minute when Dipanda Dicka connected with an Arijit Bagui cross from the right. A couple of minutes later, Pintu Mahato released a square pass down the right, which was received by Dipanda Dicka, but his shot was denied by the post. Azharuddin doubled the lead in the 35th minute from a left foot Arijit Bagui corner. Had the hosts converted their chances, it would have been a goal fest for the Kolkata giants.
A sensational pass in the 58th minute found the boot of Azharuddin, his left-footed shot was stopped by the custodian. The rebound fell for Dicka whose shot was also saved by Subham Roy. Azharuddin got another golden opportunity at the stroke of the hour mark, but he failed to place it inside an unguarded net. The Bagan players put in a more structured display with Indian players such Pintu Mahato, Arijit Bagui and Britto hogging the limelight throughout the 90 minutes.
In the latter stages of the match, Tollygunge were lucky to get a couple of openings in front of the goal but couldn’t capitalise. Finally, after numerous wasted chances, super sub Lalnun Fela made it 3-0 from an Azharuddin cross to seal the deal for Mohun Bagan.
Tollygunge Agragami will face another uphill task when they face East Bengal in their next fixture on Thursday while Mohun Bagan will be up against West Bengal Police next Saturday evening in the same venue.
