Mohun Bagan scripted an emphatic 5-0 victory over Food Corporation of India (FCI) in their Calcutta Football League match on Wednesday evening. Star striker Dipanda Dicka scored his second hat-trick of the season while Tirthankar Sarkar and Kim Kima also scored a goal each. It was a one-sided affair after the Mariners got the first goal in the dying moments of the first half.
With two matches left for the green and maroon brigade, Shankarlal Chakraborty’s team is in sniffing distance of the championship, but he has instructed his boys to stay focused and not celebrate after scoring a goal!
“We are unaware what is going to happen in the next three matches (for East Bengal), so we need to perform as well as possible. That is why the players were instructed not to celebrate after scoring a goal. They were supposed to pick up the ball and bring it to the centre. Dicka scored a goal and started celebrating, but within moments he realised. We do want to waste time,” said Coach Shankarlal Chakraborty during the post-match press conference.
FCI impressed in the first half, created a few chances and also defended well. A special mention to goalkeeper Dhananjoy who made a few excellent saves in the first 45 minutes. Dipanda Dicka’s opening goal during stoppage time of the first half was a significant event in the context of the match. From there on, the hosts toyed with FCI’s defence and scored goals at will. Half-time substitutes Pintu Mahata and Tirthankar Sarkar played brilliantly and were the main architects inside the rectangle.
With the hat-trick, Dicka is now the leading goal scorer in the ongoing Calcutta Football League with 10 goals. Mohun Bagan is currently at the top of the standings in the Calcutta Football League with 23 points from 9 matches. This win helped them extend their goal difference to +18, which is very crucial in the context of the championship. An inferior goal difference robbed them of a CFL title last season and Arijit Bagui and Co. are making sure it does not repeat!