Mohun Bagan begin the year on a high

One goal and Mohun Bagan fans finally have something to cheer about. After almost three and a half years without a trophy, the Bagan fans needed something to celebrate. And they got it when Katsumi Yusa put their team ahead in the 84^th minute of the match against arch-rivals East Bengal. It came as lifeline for the Bagan coach as well since pressure has been mounting over him for being unable to manage the team into a successful finish in any tournament.

Coming into the quality of the football played in the 90 minutes, nothing much could be mentioned. There were some positive moves from both the sides but inefficiency in the final third snatched all the excitement that was created around the match. The only goal that came from Bagan’s Japanese midfielder Katsumi when the East Bengal defense was caught napping in a quick counter-attack. It was a good finish from the midfielder as East Bengal custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who otherwise had a good with the gloves, had no chance of stopping it. He made couple of crucial saves from Mohun Bagan in the earlier minutes of the game before East Bengal came back strongly. The red and gold brigade also their chances. Had luck been on their side they could have taken the lead as early as in the 5^th minute of the match when Chidi Edeh’s header hit the post. Had that one gone in the end result might have been a different one. Keeping aside the ifs and buts Mohun Bagan emerged as the deserved winners as they played better than their opponent in patches.

However this 1-0 win of Mohun Bagan over East Bengal will not bring any changes in the league table as East Bengal has already been crowned the champions before the derby. But this defeat will surely reduce the celebrations of the cup victory.

• About the Author

About Argha Ghosh

An ardent follower of sports and die-hard Manchester United fan, Argha's ultimate dream is to watch a Manchester derby from the Stretford End at the Old Trafford.