Mohun Bagan blank SBT

Mohun Bagan blank SBT
Press Trust of India

Kolkata, February 1: Title holders Mohun Bagan did justice to their reputation, blanking State Bank of Travancore 3-0 in a fifth National Football League match here today.

Bagan, who dominated the game, went ahead in the very third minute through their Brazilian striker Barreto, while Debjit Ghosh increased the scoreline 2-0 with a nice header in the 32nd minute. R P Singh struck late in the second session to take his team’s tally to 10 points in four matches.

The Rabindra Sarobar Stadium enounter saw an exciting brand of soccer with the ball travelling from one end to the other. Depite the heavily one-sided scoreline, the visitors, comprising only home-spun players, had their chances but failed to capitalise on them.

The winners’s first goal came when Basudeb Mandal essayed a diagonal pass to Barreto, whose left-footer went in through the far corner of the net.

SBT coach Najib employed stopper Jiju Jacob to police Barreto, but the Brazilian proved too shrewd outwitting his marker time and again.

Bagan kept up their pressure and in the 31st minute R P Singh essayed a through into the rival box, and Barreto outran Jacob, but his shot hit the onrushing custodian Rajeev Kumar before going out.

R P Singh floated the resultant flag-kick into the box, and Ghosh, who had moved up, headed in. Sixteen minutes from close, Barreto again was in the limelight as he sent a forward through for R P Singh who put the ball into the goal from inside the box.

After today’ result, SBT are on two points from four outings.

Mahindra scrape past ITI
Mumbai: Striker Manjit Singh scored a goal in the 17th minute as local outfits Mahindra United defeated Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) by a solitary goal at Cooperage here today.

Mahindras played a spirited game right from the beginning and might have taken the lead in the 13th minute itself when Manjit Singh’s shot on a pass from Khalid Siddique missed the goal narrowly.

Manjit again got a chance in 17th minute when he was beautifully fed by medio Abhay Kumar on receiving the long pass from captain Aqeel Ansari and this time he rightly put the ball into the goal.

ITI had a chance in the 23rd minute but their Nigerian recruit Kenneth missed a simple chance on a pass from Peter.