I-League 2018-19: Mohun Bagan v Chennai City - Best plays as Mariners lose ground in title race

On this cloudy winter afternoon inside Yuva Bharati Stadium, Mohun Bagan was tasked with an impossible job of stopping the Invincible Chennai City FC, who came to the city with the goal of continuing their victory march in Kolkata. The reigning league leaders were determined to cement their position at the top of the table and their intent was evident from the start of the match itself, but at the end, both sides had to be content with sharing the spoils of war.

Mohun Bagan fielded a team with three changes in the first team that suffered a humiliating loss against a spirited Churchill Brothers side in the same field in their last match. Shilton Paul, Dalraj Singh, and Aser Dipanda were benched to pave the way for Shankar Roy, Kimkima, and Omar Elhusseiny, and Chennai got their man Pedro Manzi back from injury along with I-league debut of the Spanish goalkeeper Santana. Even with the ball travelling from end to end in the 1st half, it ended without any goals as both sides failed to convert the opportunities.

In the second half, a tired Manzi was replaced with Jozef Kapláň, and then with his usual brilliance and skill, Sony Norde twisted, turned and dazzled Santana to put one past him into the goal. Even with an inspired performance by the attacking half, the defensive errors were prominent for the Kolkata side.

In the 81st minute, Néstor Gordillo got in between the defence line catching a long pass from midfield and added another goal to his list by putting the ball past Roy on the nearside. After some tugs and hustles in the final hour, the match ended with a draw with four minutes added time of play.

Player of the match: After a long time, Norde was back to his brilliant level, with solo runs and creating a flurry of chances for the teammates. He was the one to break the deadlock with his solo goal for his team and came close again in the 80th minute which was saved by a watchful Santana. Though his performance was not enough to earn the much coveted three points, he has the most impact on the game.

Play of the Match: After being held for an offside in the early hours of the second half, Sony caught a pass from Kisseka, went past Vanspaul and Bora to make way past Eslava and put the ball into the top of the net past the mesmerizing keeper. The goal gave the home side a lead and inspired a number of attacks, even though they failed to hold to that.

Turning Point- After the introduction of D'Silva in the 76th minute replacing Omar El Hussieny, Chennai attack got a boost and produced attempts one after another. Soon after it, Néstor Gordillo came in between the defensive line to score clinically silencing the home side fans.

Save of the Match - In the 80th minute, against the flow of the game, Norde put in a solo effort with a perfect first touch receiving a diagonal ball. He came close inside the box but his attempt was thwarted with a perfect save from Santana, thus denying Mohun Bagan doubling their lead.

Miss of the Match - In the added time, Néstor Gordillo went for a tumble and was punished with a yellow card. After losing his cool, he picked up a ball from miss pass of the Bagan defenders with lots of space but failed to put it in past Roy, which would have ensured full three points for the away team.

The Kolkata side will now face their arch-rivals, the Red and Gold giants Each Bengal on December 16, while the league leaders will continue their journey to face Minerva Punjab in Panchkula on the same day.