I-League 2017: Mohun Bagan vs Shillong Lajong, 5 Talking points

Mohun Bagan were pegged back at the Salt Lake Stadium as Shillong Lajong fought back to pick up a point from their encounter today. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, both goals coming from penalty kicks.

The point was a good rebound for Lajong after their 5-1 hammering at the hands of East Bengal, but for Bagan, it was an opportunity missed at the top of the table.

#1 Bagan's quick start left everyone fearing for Lajong

In the game against East Bengal, Lajong conceded the first goal in the 10th minute and that led to the floodgates being opened as East Bengal went on to win by a big margin in the end.

When Rakesh Pradhan fouled Sk Faiaz leading to a penalty which was put away by Dipanda Dicka in the 11th minute, Lajong supporters might have feared the worst for their side. However, it wasn't to be as Lajong went on to match their opponents in the rest of the half, creating chances themselves to pull level.

Bagan failed to push on from there and build on their lead and eventually allowed their opponents to come back in the game as Lajong's second trip to Kolkata in the span of a week ended on a much better note.

#2 Dicka up to three

Dicka coolly slots in a penalty to put Mohun Bagan in the lead. (Photo: I-League)

The top scorer from last season, Dipanda Dicka, continued his scoring run for his new team as he stepped up to score Bagan's penalty that gave his side the early lead. The goal was Dicka's third of the season and he looks to be a very good acquisition for the Mariners.

In the second half, even after going down to 10 men, Dicka had a good chance when he was played through on goal, but the Lajong keeper was out sharply to keep him out.

Also significant was the fact that he chose not to celebrate the goal, instead running to the sidelines to pick up his teammate Yuta Kinowaki's jersey and hold it up to the fans. Kinowaki has been ruled out of action in a long-term injury, due to a collarbone fracture.

#3 Naro gets the nod over Nikhil

Nikhil Kadam came on as a substitute in place of Naro Hari. (Photo: I-League)

With Bagan's star man Sony Norde not featuring, it was an interesting toss-up as to who coach Sen would pick to replace the Haitian on the left-hand side of the pitch.

With Faiaz playing out wide on the right, Naro Hari Shrestha got the start in today's game. He didn't have a particularly impactful game as most of Bagan's attacks came from the right through Faiaz.

Nikhil Kadam did get playing time, eventually replacing Shrestha in the final quarter and looked good with some of his set-piece deliveries.

#3 The game turns in the space of two minutes

Shillong Lajong kept niggling at Mohun Bagan despite being a goal down. (Photo: I-League)

Bagan began the second half with a defensive outlook as they allowed Lajong possession of the ball, opting to just sit back and defend.

For a good 10 minutes, that approach seemed to merit it's use as Lajong did not look particularly threatening, playing more lateral passes than any incisive ones. However, that all changed in the 71st minute as Aiman Al-Hagri finally showed more adventure, taking on the defence with a sharp run into the box from the left. Bagan's captain for the day, Kinshuk Debnath, slid in for the challenge and clearly fouled Al-Hagri as the referee pointed to the spot.

Lajong's little dynamo, captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia stepped up and dispatched a fantastic penalty to bring his side level.

Two minutes later, it was Samuel again, this time drawing a foul from Bagan's main defender Kingsley Eze. Eze was booked, but it happened to be his second yellow, resulting in his marching orders. That further set Bagan back as what began as a promising evening threatened to go sour.

Samuel was taken off on a stretcher after that knock and looked to be in pain. Lajong will be hoping their captain's injury is not too serious.

#5 Where are our foreigners?

Mohun Bagan are losing their foreign star to injuries. (Photo: I-League)

Bagan are in the trenches as far as personnel are concerned. Ahead of this game, they received news that three of their big-name foreign players will not be involved.

Yuta Kinowaki, after his 5th-minute injury in the last game, has been sidelined collarbone fracture. Sony Norde and Ansumanah Kromah are also out.

And today Kingsley Eze's sending off will mean that he will miss Bagan's next game with an automatic suspension. Suddenly coach Sanjoy Sen is left with just Dicka from his collection of foreigners.

They remain unbeaten in the league, but as it showed today, they can struggle without those players. How will this affect the Mariners going forward? Only time can tell.