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Overview
Round 23 proved to be another exciting matchday as there were significant results at both ends of the table. Once again the top three failed to win as Bengaluru FC and Pune FC played out a 1-1 stalemate in front of more than 8000 passionate fans at the Bangalore Football Stadium while Rangdajied United upset Salgaocar 2-1 in Goa. It was Bengaluru’s final home assignment of their debut season and the disappointment of not taking all three points was overshadowed by the excellent home support. In a unique gesture, the club showed their appreciation towards their growing fanbase with a ‘Thank You’ banner after the game but now face three tough away fixtures.
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Those results opened the door for Dempo to move into the top three and they took full advantage as four goals from Tolgay Ozbey saw them thrash relegation-threatened Churchill Brothers 4-1. But the biggest winners of the weekend were East Bengal as they closed the gap at the top to just seven points with a 2-1 home victory over Sporting Clube de Goa and still have two games in hand. The red-and-gold brigade got the win after dropping points in midweek against Mumbai FC and now must quickly put together a run of wins if they want to win their first league title since 2004. Sporting Clube are now winless in six games and could even find it difficult to finish in the top five.
Churchill’s heavy defeat gave Mohammedan Sporting the opportunity to move out of the relegation spot but the black and whites failed to capitalise as they could only manage a 1-1 draw against United SC, who played the last 20 minutes with ten men. Both Kolkata clubs remain in danger of going down but Mohammedan are more worried and their task has got even harder following Mumbai’s surprise 2-1 away win over Shillong Lajong. It was only Mumbai’s fourth win of the campaign but five points from three away games has suddenly given them breathing space in the battle for survival.
Results
Bengaluru FC 1-1 Pune FC; Churchill Brothers 1-4 Dempo; United SC 1-1 Mohammedan Sporting; Salgaocar 1-2 Rangdajied United; East Bengal 2-1 Sporting Clube; Shillong Lajong 1-2 Mumbai FC
Game & Result of the round
Salgaocar 1-2 Rangdajied United
Bengaluru’s draw with Pune on Friday gave Salgaocar the chance to move within one point of the league leaders. Salgaocar were in great form coming into this game as they had won five of their previous six matches while relegation-threatened Rangdajied United had lost their previous three away fixtures. Thus Salgaocar were overwhelming favourites to take all three points and continue their march towards the title. But the game was an end-to-end contest in the opening stages with the crossing and set-piece deliveries of Rangdajied wide midfielder Steven Dias causing problems for the Salgaocar defence.
Salgaocar’s star strikers Dudu Omagbemi and Darryl Duffy were uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal while midfielder Clifton Dias also hit the woodwork. Salgaocar custodian Karanjit Singh also made a great save to preserve the home side’s clean sheet but the match was a lot tighter in the second period. It looked like the game was heading for a goalless stalemate, a result that would not be good enough for either side, until India international Francis Fernandes produced a moment of magic to put Salgaocar in front.
With only seven minutes plus added time remaining, Rangdajied needed something special to salvage anything from this game and that inspiration was provided by Ranti Martins. The Nigerian first scored from an Eugeneson Lyngdoh corner before heading home David Nghaite’s cross much to the shock of the whole Salgaocar camp. Ranti deserves to grab all the headlines as he has now scored six goals in five games for Rangdajied and that could be enough to keep them in the I-League for another season. But in truth the whole squad of the Shillong outfit showed great resilience to fight back and have now dented Salgaocar’s hopes of a third league title.
Best Players
Foreigner – Tolgay Ozbey (Dempo)
Photo Credit: AIFF Media
The Australian became the second player to score a hattrick this season and only the fourth individual to score more than three goals in an I-League match. Mohammedan now are certainly ruing the decision to release Tolgay, who has rediscovered his best form under compatriot Arthur Papas at Dempo.
Indian – Lalrindika Ralte (East Bengal)
In the absence of several first team regulars due to injury, East Bengal needed someone to step up and young Lalrindika proved to be their match winner against Sporting Clube as he set up the first goal and scored the second.
The Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| Bengaluru FC | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 38 | +11 |
| Salgaocar | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 34 | +6 |
| Dempo | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 31 | +5 |
| East Bengal | 19 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 31 | +9 |
| Pune FC | 20 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 31 | +6 |
| Sporting Clube | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 29 | 0 |
| Shillong Lajong | 20 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 29 | -2 |
| Rangdajied United | 21 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 24 | -7 |
| Mohun Bagan | 21 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 24 | 0 |
| Mumbai FC | 21 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 24 | -2 |
| United SC | 21 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 22 | -8 |
| Churchill Brothers | 19 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 18 | -11 |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 18 | -7 |
