There is a very famous English maxim which cites that a goalkeeper in a football game is the last guard of the fortress. If the last guard goes down, the fortress is going down. The maxim’s veracity was validated by Debjit Majumder’s faring in the second leg of ISL 2016 Atletico de Kolkata vs Mumbai City FC semi-final.
Playing with ten men for the entire second half, Kolkata kept Mumbai at bay, protecting their slender one goal cushion over the hosts, which they ascertained in the first leg of the game at Kolkata. An upbeat performance from the Kolkata rearguard and the custodian, Debjit Majumder, refuted Mumbai any chance to get their equaliser.
The ATK goalkeeper was the pick of the slew when he came out with flying colours after being put to the test multiple times in the game.
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The easiest chance of the game fell for Sunil Chhetri in the 8th minute, when he got a one-on-one opportunity against Debjit and the latter one pulled a stunning save, denying Chhetri the equaliser. Moments later, Defederico was ousted of the possession when Debjit snatched the ball from his feet with aquiline reflexes.
A couple of minutes into the second half and the two shots from Sony Norde and Defederico were saved by Debjit with tantamount brilliance.
A few minutes later, the goalkeeper intercepted a corner, jumping high in the air and laying claim to the ball before any Mumbai players could have done it, thereby thwarting another Mumbai coup.
With Mumbai trying to raze down the Kolkata defence with their numeric superiority, the ball fell for Jackichand Singh. Singh came on as a substitute in the second half and did well to get past the Kolkata defence with his breakneck speed and then unleashed a shot at the goal. However, Debjit, who was brimming with panache at that point of time, calmly thwarted the shot and collected the ball.
Minutes before the end of regulation time, the game once again witnessed Mumbai put pressure on the Kolkata defence, this time their standout defender, Goian unleashed a thunderous volley which was caught by the diving shot-stopper. As time whiled away, Mumbai unleashed one last ditch attempt with a long ball for Cafu, which didn’t even reach him after Borja waylaid it and the referee put an end to the rubber, blowing the final whistle.
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Debjit Majumder has been quite a standout performer for the Kolkata outfit this season. He didn’t have much to offer in the previous edition in 2015 when he made just a couple of appearances for Mumbai City FC. However this time, he started in almost every match under the woodwork for Kolkata.
Being spotted in the I-league and Federation Cup, playing for Mohun Bagan, he was roped in by Atletico De Kolkata. Manager Jose Molina opted for Debjit over veteran custodian, Dani Mallo, who was a lynchpin for Deportivo, and Shilton Paul, who had proved his mettle in numerous ties previously.
Debjit didn’t let Molina down. Right since the first match, the Atletico de Kolkata goalkeeper proved himself in the ISL, pulled off stunning saves against Arne Riise and Hans Mulder.
Had it not been for the doggedness of Mazumdar under the woodwork, Kolkata could have found themselves in a deep quagmire. The second goal which Kolkata conceded, witnessed Debjit’s brilliance again when he managed to reach for the ball despite his short stature and a sturdy deflection which jinked the ball in a completely opposite direction.
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He pulled off his first clean sheet of the fray when he produced two remarkable saves against Kerala Blasters and Kolkata notched up their first victory in ISL 2016.
In the next couple of matches, Debjit didn’t have much to vaunt about. A couple of 1-1 draws and decent games from Debjit made the manager believe in this strapping lad’s prowess under the woodwork. The next notable coup of the goalkeeper came against Delhi Dynamos when he emanated some blue-ribbon goalkeeping to eke out another clean sheet.
Debjit was noticed early in the game when he parried Marcelinho’s free-kick for a corner. The best moment of the game for him came in the first half after 35 minutes, when Malouda, Gadze and Tebar compelled him into making three stunning saves on the bounce within space of twenty odd seconds, keeping Kolkata afloat. He made another stunner of a save when he denied Gadze a shy at goal.
Debjit’s agility and reflexes make him one of the best goalkeepers of the tournament so far. He is quick on his feet and his anticipation makes him stand out among others, while his shot-stopping finesse is indeed noteworthy. Kolkata will bank a lot on his shoulders when they will play their second ISL final in three years. As the byword of ISL is to bring young and rising talents to the centre stage, Debjit Majumder is one fine example of this agenda. His contribution to the league is indeed laudable.
With four clean sheets in 16 appearances and with a staggering figure of 31 good saves, where the magnitude of the word ‘good’ varies from decent to stunning, Debjit Majumder is on the rise. He will be put to one final test this Sunday, where equanimity and brilliance will go in tandem. The final of ISL 2016, awaits this young bloke.
