I-League 2018/19: Mohun Bagan 2-2 Aizawl FC - 5 Talking Points

Mohun Bagan was denied a win at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday against Aizawl FC in their I-League fixture on Saturday evening. A brilliant 93rd-minute strike from David Lalrinmuana was enough for Aizawl FC to grab a point from their visit to Kolkata. Bagan’s Haitian winger Sony Norde showed glimpses of his brilliance by scoring a goal and also building up the play, but could not inspire his team to their first win in the ongoing I-League.

While Bagan’s coach Sankarlal Chakraborty was disappointed to miss out on a win, Aizawl FC’s Gift Raikhan will be pretty satisfied to snatch away a point from the vital away fixture. There were many notable incidents in the action-packed match including two excellent individual efforts.

Let us have a look at the five talking points from the match between Mohun Bagan and Aizawl FC.

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#5 Mohun Bagan yet to combine well as a team

Although the Mariners have got the firepower to see them through a successful I-League campaign, they still need a few games to click as a unit. This was evident from many instances during the match. The Henry Kisekka–Dipanda Dicka partnership which was one of the main highlights of the Calcutta Football League earlier this year was especially missing in the match.

Dipanda Dicka failed to convert on two occasions where he was expected to do so. Britto was a total mess in the right wing and was substituted by Sourav Das in the first half itself. Egyptian playmaker Omar Elhusseiny too had a lacklustre day in the field. Coach Sankarlal Chakraborty changed his position from central midfield to the wings, but it hardly had any effect.

The defenders were sloppy throughout the game, with the most experienced stopper Eze Kingsley slipping up on a few occasions. Lalchawnkima also had an ordinary day apart from his goal, while Abhishek Ambekar and Arijit Bagui have to push up their game up in the upcoming matches.

#4 Pintu Mahata: A star in the making

Pintu Mahata in action

The winger started just from where he ended his Calcutta Football League campaign. The energetic footballer was all over the midfield, he was the lifeline in the majority of the attacks. His swift runs down the right wing and precise passes made him one of the most effective players in the entire match.

Pintu has improved as a player and the entire credit goes to Bagan’s tactician Sankarlal Chakraborty who guided him so well. There were hardly any errors in his play. His passes, his crosses, the positive movements, his attitude during the game, everything was up to the mark.

Maybe his final pass was something on which he could work on a bit. In spite of that he managed to deliver balls to the forwards but somehow Dipanda Dicka and Henry Kisekka managed to falter at times where they are supposed to score.

#3 A hard-fought away point for Aizawl FC

Dipanda Dicka (right) loses the ball

There was no dominance from Aizawl FC in the entire match apart from a few moments but they had their task cut out. Full marks to the coach for playing the match according to the plan and fetching an important away point from their visit to Kolkata. To sum it up, it was a tactical performance from the visitors.

The two goals were the only highlights of Aizawl FC's attack, barring that it was a pretty hard business for the visitors against Mohun Bagan which had Henry Kisekka, Dipanda Dicka and Haitian winger Sony Norde at their disposal. Their coach Gift Raikhan plotted the fate of the match perfectly indeed.

Just when everyone present at the stadium thoughts that the hosts will grab all the three points, the ‘highlanders’ came back into the match once again. After leading for 15 minutes in the first half, Mohun Bagan came back into the game with an equaliser from Lalchawnkima. Sony Norde gave them the lead, but David’s extraordinary free-kick made it all squares at the end.

#2 Sony Norde, you beauty!

Sony Norde was back in action after 9 months

The Haitian winger came as a substitute in the 62nd minute of the match when the match was still in the balance with a score of 1-1. He was welcomed by the 18,000 people present at the Salt Lake Stadium with a loud cheer; everyone knew he was the need of the hour although he had been out of action for more than 9 months.

It took him just 7 minutes to make an impact in the game. Just 7 minutes! After making a typical Sony Norde run down the left wing and sprinting along the goal line, he produced an inch-perfect shot which pierced into the top corner of the net to give Mohun Bagan the lead.

Norde changed the complexion of the game within minutes. The wing-play suddenly came alive after he was introduced into the field. Apart from scoring the goal, he made positive moves up front and also gave a few through balls from which goals could have been scored, but the finishing was poor for the hosts on Saturday evening.

#1 Super Sub: David Lalrinmuana

David Lalrinmuana is a free-kick specialist

Mohun Bagan was taking away the game after Sony Norde put them ahead in the 69th minute. Tactician Raikhan played a masterpiece by introducing David Lalrinmuana just a minute after they were behind by a goal. He hardly impressed in the field till the 90th minute of the match.

Mohun Bagan’s midfielder committed a needless tackle in the 93rd minute of the match, the third minute out of the four given by the referee as a stoppage time. The 25-year-old blasted the ball from a free-kick; after hitting the post it went straight into the target. Bagan custodian Sankar Roy was beaten although he stretched as far as he could.

The entire gallery on the opposite side filled with home fans was silenced as Aizawl FC’s players and other officials were overjoyed. Their coach Gift Raikhan will be partly given credit for giving Lalrinmuana an opportunity after Aizawl were down by 1-2. In the end, it was a hard fought 1 point for the visitors.