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Mohun Bagan were held on their home turf once again as they drew with league leaders Chennai City FC. They match ended 1-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
After losing their last match against Churchill Brothers, the onus was on Mohun Bagan to deliver their best performance. They even started with a different approach this time but failed to get all the three points. With this draw, Mohun Bagan remained on fourth place with nine points from six matches.
The exclusion of Dipanda Dicka from the starting line-up also raised few questions. Coach Sankarlal Chakraborty included Henry Kisekka as a lone striker despite the Ugandan suffering a minor injury couple of days ago. Henry failed to pay back the trust of his coach.
Chennai should consider themselves unlucky as they hit the post twice in the match and should be grateful to get away with a point in a vital match like this, where they were not the better side on the pitch. Chennai remain on top of the I-League table with 17 points from seven matches.
Let us look the three season why Mohun Bagan drew with Chennai City:
#1 Mohun Bagan conceded late but put up a much better performance overall
Mohun Bagan looked like a depleted side in their last match against Churchill Brothers. Nothing went right for them against a side much less potent in terms of firepower. No one thought Mohun Bagan will lose by that margin. But despite a draw against a tougher team like Chennai City, Mohun Bagan showed their true character. They were unlucky to end up with a draw but green and maroon brigade played like a unit.
Mohun Bagan started attacking right from the start. Pintu Mahata was operating from the right side and talisman Sony Norde from left. But it was Norde who was more lethal. The Kolkata giants depended on the wings and were getting enough support from the central midfielders also. Pintu Mahata’s shot was saved by the Chennai ity in the 10th minute. The hosts should’ve killed the match within the first 15 minutes.
On the defensive part too, Mohun Bagan played well, until the last 10 minutes where may be a lack of concentration cost them two points. But in the first half, they kept hold of possession and were not giving any room to the Chennai players for making a pass. They were chasing every ball and giving Chennai City a run for their money.
This season, Mohun Bagan conceded late in their first two matches. The curse continued to haunt them against Chennai City too as Nestor Gordillo scored the equaliser in the 81st minute. Mohun Bagan will get a couple of weeks' time in their hand before the all-important match against East Bengal and coach should address this problem.
#2 Clueless in the first half, Chennai City rose in the second
Though they’ve clinched a point, Chennai City failed to replicate their usual play in the first half which we’ve witnessed in their previous matches. Under the guidance of Akbar Nawas, they like to keep the ball on the ground and play passing football.
Against Mohun Bagan, Chennai City looked clueless in the first quarter of the game. The home side was dominating the match and Chennai players were committing mistakes frequently. Also against their nature, Chennai City players made too many misplaced passes which sometimes put them in a tricky situation. The one positive point for their side was the shot of Sandro which hit the post.
But the visitors got their mojo back in the second half. As time went on, Chennai City became more furious in the opponent’s half. But stout Mohun Bagan defenders were denying them every time. Finally, Nestor Gordillo got one chance and he utilised it intelligently. He took one more shot which smacked the post.
#1 Strikers' inability negates Sony Norde’s efforts
Mohun Bagan coach decided to change his formation in this match and deployed Henry Kisekka as a lone striker, putting Dipanda Dicka on the bench. This created a shortage of enough strikers on the field and Kisekka, probably because of a small injury he sustained in training couple of days ago, failed to deliver.
Sankarlal Chakraborty put Egyptian midfielder Omar Elhussieny in a more attacking position and though he tried to give best, it was not enough for his team to earn a win. As a result, despite creating numbers of goal scoring chances in the first half, Mohun Bagan failed to put the game beyond Chennai City’s grasp.
However, Sony Norde was excellent on the field. He scored in his first appearance this season against Aizawl but didn’t play in their away match against Real Kashmir. In their last match against Churchill Brothers, Sony couldn’t deliver what was expected from him and eventually, his team lost the match badly.
On Saturday, Sony came clearly came with purpose. From the very first minute, he started attacking from the left flank. With the ball on his feet, Norde was a menace from the left flank, easily dribbling past the defenders and making moves towards the opponent’s box. He kept Edwin Vanspaul under check.
Within the first 15 minutes, Mohun Bagan created at least five chances and could’ve scored twice. But they missed every opportunity. But never lost hope and kept on doing his duty.
Finally, his efforts paid off in the 50th minute and what a goal it was! Getting a through ball on the left, Norde quickly got past Vanspaul and Gourav Bora with his skills and took a right footed shot from the edge of the box. Chennai City goalkeeper Nauzat Santana had no chance to save it.
However, after the Aizawl match, again Norde’s effort went in vain due to the striker’s inability but the Haitian was rightly adjudged the man of the match.
