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Overview
This is undoubtedly the most competitive I-League campaign ever since its inception in 2007 but league leaders Bengaluru FC pulled further away from the chasing pack in the midweek round of matches after a thrilling 3-2 win away at Mohammedan Sporting. It was their fourth straight victory and third away success on the trot with club captain Sunil Chhetri netting a brace for the third consecutive game.
Other results also went Bengaluru’s way as title favourites East Bengal were held to a goalless draw by Salgaocar. The red-and-gold brigade have already dropped 15 points after 10 games and failed to score for the first time this season. But the biggest surprise was the defeat of Pune FC as they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Rangdajied United. The Shillong club scored twice in stoppage time to record their first-ever home win in the I-League and the result will certainly increase the self-belief of their young squad.
Pune though saw their points tally increase by two as Salgaocar have been officially docked points for playing unregistered players in a couple of games. Rangdajied now have a four-point cushion over rock-bottom Churchill Brothers, who suffered their seventh defeat of the campaign against Shillong Lajong. Only one team will get relegated this term and the possibility of champions Churchill Brothers going down is increasing with every round as they are struggling to get results while teams around them are improving.
That win also saw Lajong move into the top four with Trinidad and Tobago World Cupper Cornell Glen scoring the winner. Churchill would be hoping that their newly signed T&T World Cupper Anthony Wolfe has a similar impact. Another Goan club that is struggling is record five-time champions Dempo as they have managed just two wins in 13 games but they will be satisfied to get a point away from home against United SC especially as they played without a foreigner.
Mohammedan Sporting could also get involved in the relegation battle if their form doesn’t improve as the black and whites are winless in four now. But Mumbai FC seems to be moving away from the drop zone as the 1-1 stalemate with Mohun Bagan extended their current unbeaten run to four matches. Mohun Bagan on the other hand once again failed to notch up back-to-back wins and only earned a point thanks to a late equaliser from CS Sabeeth.
Results
Churchill Brothers 0-1 Shillong Lajong; United SC 0-0 Dempo; Mohun Bagan 1-1 Mumbai FC; Mohammedan Sporting 2-3 Bengaluru FC; Salgaocar 0-0 East Bengal; Rangdajied United 3-2 Pune FC
Game of the round
Mohammedan Sporting 2-3 Bengaluru FC
There were two five-goal thrillers in this round but the one in Kolkata stood out because it even had crowd trouble and controversy. It was always going to be an interesting contest as coming into this fixture Mohammedan Sporting had one of the best defensive home records with five straight clean sheets while Bengaluru FC had scored the most goals in the league. All the pressure was on Mohammedan Sporting though as they were playing in front of their home fans and the Kolkata club started the game very brightly.
But Mohammedan were wasteful and also denied a penalty and Bengaluru punished them by taking the lead through John Menyongar after a well-worked corner. At 1-0 Bengaluru were guilty of some poor finishing and the hosts restored parity with a fortuitous goal that was later credited to Josimar. Having conceded from a corner in the first half one would have expected Mohammedan to be more alert during flagkicks in the second half but just three minutes after the restart India captain Sunil Chhetri scored from a corner. It was a sumptuous volley from Sunil and gave Mohammedan custodian Ashok Singh no chance.
Bengaluru’s lead didn’t last long though as Josimar made it 2-2 after pouncing on a rebound following Pawan Kumar’s save from substitute Syed Rahim Nabi. At that stage Mohammedan Sporting had the momentum but Bengaluru showed why they are the current table toppers as they weathered the home side’s pressure and scored from another corner. It is still a mystery whether Sunil’s header crossed the goal line as Collin Abranches attempted to clear but Mohammedan were guilty of poor marking again.
The home side had their chances to equalise but Bengaluru held on to complete a hattrick of away wins. Coach Ashley Westood might still not admit that his team are in the title race but halfway into the campaign the table can’t lie. Mohammedan suffered only their second home defeat but it was the fourth straight game without a win and that didn’t go down well with their supporters as bottles, chairs, stones were thrown onto the pitch as missiles with two-goal hero Sunil also tweeting, “Very very disappointed by few fans throwing stones at the ground..you can be passionate,u can curse and abuse but throwing stones is..Dangerous…nabi,Collin,me or rino anyone could have got seriously injured..it’s an humble request guys please be sensible before something.”
Result of the round
Rangdajied United 3-2 Pune FC
While the five-goal thriller in Kolkata was more eventful, the one in Shillong was more significant as the hosts registered their first-ever home win and only the second victory of their debut campaign. While Pune suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time under Dutch coach Mike Snoei. The most glaring aspect of the result was the manner in which Pune capitulated while Rangdajied showed a never-say-die attitude, something they will need for the rest of the campaign, to come back from two goals down.
For about an hour in the game anything other than a Pune win looked inconceivable. Rangdajied weren’t that bad as they created chances even in the first half but were a bit naive while defending as a couple of lapses of concentration saw Pune race into a two-goal lead after 34 minutes. Former Levante and Bolton attacker Mustapha Riga opened the scoring while India international Gurjinder Kumar doubled their advantage. Pune had opportunities to kill the game off but didn’t convert them and that kept alive Rangdajied’s hopes of salvaging something from the game.
Rangdajied had fought back from 2-0 down to earn a point against Dempo earlier in the season and with all four foreigners available for the first time they had every chance of coming back in this game also. Coach Santosh Kashyap also made a couple of positive changes in the second half, bringing on David Ngaihte and Manandeep Singh. Those substitutions gave the Shillong club more options going forward and they pulled one back through former Pune FC striker Edmar Figueira. At 2-1, Pune were set for a nervy final half hour but they defended well and even created openings on the counter attack. But the Red Lizards didn’t put the game to bed and Rangdajied scored twice in stoppage time to grab a sensational win. North Korean striker Kim Yong equalised after a huge scramble in the Pune box and then with almost the last kick of the game substitute Lalnunpuia scored the winner from 30 yards to set pandemonium in the stands.
In the post-match press conference Snoei ignored the fact that his side had lost ground in the title race as he stressed on the overall development of his young squad. But the Dutchman blasted his defence and praised Rangdajied for their fighting spirit. Kashyap has always remained optimistic of survival and this win will strengthen his squad’s belief. The result also reminded everyone that just like in the EPL, there are no easy games in the I-League.
Best Players
Foreigner – Edmar Figueira (Rangdajied United)
The Brazilian made his much-awaited return from injury and started Rangdajied’s incredible second-half comeback with a lovely strike from just outside the box against his former club. If Edmar is fit and firing, Rangdajied have every chance of avoiding relegation.
Indian – Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)
The Indian captain struggled to score earlier in the season, mainly because he was playing on the left flank but has now netted eight goals in seven appearances for club and country. Never has an Indian finished top scorer in I-League history but maybe Sunil will change that this season.
Controversy
Mohammedan Sporting’s results may not have been great on their return to the top flight but they have consistently featured in this column as their matches have been disrupted by mismanagement and crowd violence. Their fans went completely berserk during and after the game against Bengaluru and it could have been worse as players of both sides narrowly escaped injuries. They are set for another hefty fine but maybe a stricter punishment will be necessary to avoid such mishap in future matches.
The Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| Bengaluru FC | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 27 | +11 |
| Sporting Clube | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 21 | +4 |
| Pune FC | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 21 | +6 |
| Shillong Lajong | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 20 | +1 |
| Salgaocar | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 0 |
| United SC | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 18 | -1 |
| East Bengal | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 15 | +4 |
| Mohun Bagan | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| Mumbai FC | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 15 | -1 |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -2 |
| Dempo | 13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 13 | -4 |
| Rangdajied United | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -10 |
| Churchill Brothers | 12 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 | -8 |
