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Overview
Round nine couldn’t live up to the excitement and drama of matchday eight but it still saw some significant results at both ends of the table. Half of the matches ended in a stalemate including the 1-1 draw between Lajong and Mohun Bagan in Shillong. There were two sending offs in that match and the result extended Mohun Bagan’s unbeaten run to four matches. Shillong Lajong also saw their unbeaten streak extended to five matches but the Kolkata club’s recent consistency is more commendable as they have been depleted due to injuries.
After successive defeats in round three and four, Mohun Bagan were facing a crisis and the continued absence of skipper and talisman Odafa Okolie made their task even more difficult. But coach Karim Bencherifa has previously done wonders with modest squads and he is proving his coaching credentials in his second spell at Mohun Bagan also. Since Mohun Bagan lack the cutting edge upfront in the absence of Odafa, Bencherifa has made them a difficult team to play against and that resilience was evident against Lajong also.
Mohun Bagan were reduced to ten and down by a goal in the first half but instead of giving up hope they equalised immediately. There was a hint of luck in Zakeer’s equaliser and the red card to Lajong’s Jibon Singh also gave Mohun Bagan a lifeline but the green-and-maroon brigade must be praised for defending solidly against Lajong’s foreign strike pairing of Cornell Glen and Uilliams Bomfin while goalkeeper Shilton Paul was also in great form. The Mariners may not be able to challenge for the title this time but under Bencherifa they wouldn’t certainly be any pushovers and can get only better with the return of Odafa imminent.
Mohun Bagan’s arch-rivals East Bengal also earned a point this round but it could have been worse as it was not until the fourth minute of added time that the AFC Cup semi-finalists equalised against Sporting Clube. Despite East Bengal’s failure to take maximum points, they remain ten behind league leaders Salgaocar with three games in hand as the Goan club could only comeback to draw 2-2 with rock-bottom Rangdajied United.
Mohammedan Sporting, Dempo and Pune FC all recorded 1-0 home victories with Pune moving up to second in the table and the Airtel I-League now takes a break for a couple of weeks due to the international break during which the Indian national team will also be in action.
Results
Sporting Clube 1-1 East Bengal; Rangdajied United 2-2 Salgaocar; Mohammedan Sporting 1-0 Mumbai FC; Dempo 1-0 Churchill Brothers; Shillong Lajong 1-1 Mohun Bagan; Pune FC 1-0 Bengaluru FC
Game of the round
Rangdajied United 2-2 Salgaocar
Photo Credit: Rangdajied United FC
This fixture was a complete mismatch on paper as rock-bottom and winless Rangdajied United were up against league leaders Salgaocar. Having recorded back-to-back away wins over Kolkata’s United SC and East Bengal, Salgaocar were expected to make it three in a row against the I-League debutants.
Around 10,000 had gathered at Shillong’s JLN Stadium hoping for at least a fight from Rangdajied. But the locals were pleasantly surprised to see their side take the lead after just two minutes through David Ngaihte. The 23-year-old showed great anticipation to react quickly to a loose ball after a deflected cross and scored past Karanjit Singh.
Despite Salgaocar’s experience and technical superiority, the Goan side were struggling to find their rhythm with the cool temperatures and altitude also being a factor. They incredibly found themselves 2-0 down inside the first half hour as Ngaihte scored the second much to the delight of the home fans.
Salgaocar were struggling to open up Rangdajied from open play and thus their first goal came out of the blue as Claude Gnakpa headed home from a corner. That goal brought Salgaocar to life as they started creating chances and should have been level before the break but for some poor finishing.
In the second half, Salgaocar dominated possession with Rangdajied hardly threatening to score again. But the table toppers didn’t create too many opportunities and looked to be running out of time and ideas until Gilbert Oliveira restored parity with a world class strike from 30 yards. That equaliser came in 89th minute and saved Salgaocar’s blushes while Rangdajied were left heartbroken and winless after eight outings.
Result of the round
Dempo 1-0 Churchill Brothers
Photo Credit: AIFF Media
Both these struggling Goan giants were desperate for maximum points in this encounter as Dempo had recorded just one victory from seven matches while Churchill Brothers had failed to win at all in this campaign.
Champions Churchill Brothers had Gabon striker Henri Antchouet back in the lineup but it was Dempo who started well and took an early lead through India international Jeje Lalpekhlua. The goal gave Dempo confidence as they started dominating possession and created quite a few opportunities with only the brilliance of goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya keeping Churchill Brothers in the contest.
With foreigners Ahmad Al Kaddour and Hameed Adesope already being released, Churchill Brothers technical director Subhash Bhowmick didn’t have too many options on the bench to change the complexion of the match. On the other hand Dempo continued to impress with their fluid passing and coach Arthur Papas also made timely substitutions to maintain control of the game.
The only flaw in Dempo’s performance was that they didn’t kill the game off and kept Churchill Brothers in the contest even though the Red Machines never really threatened to score. The result improved Dempo’s position in the table going into the international break and will give their young coach confidence for the rest of the season. Dempo still have plenty of room for improvement but with the additions of the four former Arrows players, their squad looks stronger than it did at the start of the season.
Churchill Brothers have made their worst start in the I-League era and are in desperate need of some quality foreign additions. Otherwise they could face the embarrassment of a relegation battle as the current lot lacks quality and have lost the winning mentality completely. The legendary Subhash Bhowmick has his work cut out again.
Best Players
Foreigner – Luciano Sobrosa (Mohammedan Sporting)
Mohammedan Sporting have looked solid defensively ever since the return of the Brazilian from injury and Luciano produced another strong performance against Mumbai FC to help his side keep only their third clean sheet of the campaign.
Indian – David Ngaihte (Rangdajied United)
Photo Credit: AIFF Media
Rangdajied United have plenty of players who are playing in the I-League for the first time and Ngaihte is one of them. The Manipuri showed glimpses of his potential in previous matches but finally made the headlines in this round by bagging a brace against league leaders Salgaocar.
Controversy
This round’s big controversy took place in the 1-1 stalemate between Shillong Lajong and Mohun Bagan as there was a huge brawl involving both sets of players a few minutes before the interval. Shillong Lajong’s Jibon Singh was the only player to be shown the red from that incident but there could have been more sending offs with Lajong’s Cornell Glen in particular being lucky to only receive a yellow despite manhandling Mohun Bagan’s Katsumi Yusa.
The Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| Salgaocar | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | +8 |
| Pune FC | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | +5 |
| Bengaluru FC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | +4 |
| Sporting Clube | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | +3 |
| Shillong Lajong | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 0 |
| United Sports Club | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | +2 |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | -1 |
| Mohun Bagan | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -1 |
| Dempo | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -2 |
| East Bengal | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | +3 |
| Mumbai FC | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | -3 |
| Churchill Brothers | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | -6 |
| Rangdajied United | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | -12 |
