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On Thursday, I-League club Mohun Bagan's youth side handed a 13-0 thrashing to Indian Super League (ISL) club ATK's junior team in the ongoing in U-15 Youth League (East Zone).
In the first half itself, the Mariners were leading by a massive 6-0 margin. Later on, in the second half, they added seven more goals to their tally. It was a massive victory for the young Mohun Bagan team.
In case you didn’t know…
Mohun Bagan, one of the premier clubs of the country, elected against playing in the ISL following disagreements with the AIFF over their demands to waive the ?15 crore franchise fee. Their arch-rivals East Bengal, as well, opted not to join the cash-rich league. This year, the I-League and the ISL will run simultaneously.
However, there are rumours of the two leagues merging in the near future. In such a scenario, the likes of Bagan and East Bengal have to compete against the likes of ATK. It would be interesting to see how the two prestigious clubs will cope with a new city rival.
The heart of the matter
Today’s youth league match between Bagan and ATK, which was held in Barasat, saw a blistering attacking display from the Green and Maroons.
Captain Sanku Deb found the back of the net three times, while Fardeen Ali Molla scored four goals. Surojit Ghosh, as well, scored a hattrick. The other goal scorers were Panut Murmu, Arnab Sharma and Sanjay Orao. It was a goal fest and evidently, the Mohun Bagan fans went home as the happier lot.
In another match, Bagan’s fierce rivals East Bengal were held to a goalless draw by United SC in Kalyani.
What’s next?
The top teams from the zonal league will progress to the national youth league, which will be held later this year.
Author’s take
The margin of the victory shows the gulf in class between the youth setups of Bagan and ATK. Clearly, the ISL club needs to pay more attention to grassroots level.
