5 good things that happened in Indian football in 2016

#2 Mohun Bagan becomes the first Indian team to reach the AFC Champions League second round

Mohun Bagan, the 2014-15 champions of the I-League, created history by becoming the first Indian club to make it to the second round of the AFC Champions League earlier this year. The Mariners defeated Singapore club Tampines Rovers in the first preliminary round to qualify for the second round.

As India was placed eleventh in the AFC East Zone ranking table out of the twelve positions, Mohun Bagan had to take part in the preliminary round 1. Their opponents were Tampines Rovers, who were the representatives of twelfth placed Singapore. Goals from Jeje Lalpekhlua, Cornell Glen and Katsumi Yusa helped the team to a 3-1 win.

The win was a historic one for the Bengali club and also Indian football. However, the Mariners faced a heavy defeat at the hands of Chinese club Shandong Luneng in the second preliminary round. A 6-0 loss to the Chinese club ended their run in the tournament, but they returned home only after making history.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

Know More

Edited by Staff Editor