Finally the Mariners are on their hunt for the
I-League crown, by hammering Sporting Clube De Goa 3-1 margin at Salt Lake
stadium today in the fourth round clash of I-League. Skipper Odafa Okeli scored
a hat-trick for the homeside(14’, 42’, 55’) while Joseph Perea scored the
controversial consolation goal for the visitors in the dying moments of the
second half.
Thorughout
the entire game the Green & Maroon brigade ransacked the defence of
Sporting Clube, they should have won this match more than a dozen goals margin
but due to some kiddish misses they managed to win by 3-1 margin only. In the
context of the result it might look like the match was quite contesting but in
real the hosts should have won this match easily in 8-0 margin.
Today
the Mariners started with 4-5-1 formation with a lone striker Odafa in up front
while the visitors started with 4-4-2 formation with Dawson & Victorino
Fernandez in the up front, Kalu Ogaba started as a schemer from a bit of behind
of his as usual position.
The
hosts started to go all out from the beginning, result to that they got a free
kick just outside the top box due to a handball of Adil Khan at the 14th
minute of the game. Odafa bent the ball like David Beckham, the ball nested
into the net beating full stretched diving Sporting custodian Ashok Singh,
Mohun Bagan took the 1-0 lead. Dawson
Fernandez got an opportunity to equalize just 2 minutes after that goal due to
poor clearance of Mohun Bagan defence, but he failed to edge past host
custodian Shilton Paul. In the 42nd minute of the game the homeside
occupied another corner, Adil Khan of Sporting gathered the ball in the legs of
fiercing Odafa rather clearing it, Odafa didn’t make any mess to utilize it,
put homeside 2-0 ahead. After that goal both the team had several chances, but
due to some poor misses the score remain unchanged in the first half.
From
the beginning minutes of the second half the visitors started to do some
salvage & restored the parity. Joseph Perera had a good chance of scoring
but he founded the hands of Shilton only. It might have hurt the spirit of the
hosts, they have awaken up just after this incident, started to attack randomly
in the visitors defence, result Odafa completed his hat-trick following a
through ball from Rahim Nabi in the 55th minute of the game, it
almost sealed the game in Mohun Bagan’s way.
It
looked like the floodgate is opened from there, the match looked one sided,
Sporting defence only preventing the attacks, Odafa himself could have scored
three more. Only the over confidence forced to swallow the only goal to the
hosts in the dying moments of the game while Joseph Perera scored from a
rebound, the question might arise if the ball crossed the goalline or not but
the linesman was the best to judge it & he judged it a goal by raising his
flag.
Today
the Mariners played the entire game in short passes, reminded us the style of
Barcelona, Tiki Taka football. After a long gap we found Odafa in his known
rhythm. The Flemingo Orange defence didn’t have any answer of the missile named
Odafa Okeli, which actually blasted & exploited them thrice.
It has
to be told sacking Santosh Kashyap & giving the responsibility in the hand
of soft spoken Mridul Banerjee is the right decision of the Mohun Bagan
officials. It has brought the luck for the Mariners, Karim is yet to take the
batton ahead, unless Karim takes we have to praise the works of Mridul, in his
supervision the Mariners are moving like an well oiled machine, they look the
real contender of I-League from here. Entire credit goes to Mridul for making
united a scattered team. He utilized all his weapons in the right way & cracked
the door of success before Karim’s arrival, makes the situation easier for
Karim.
With
this win Mohun Bagan strongly bounced back in the I-League ladder with 6 points
from 4 matches, it a marathon race so chances are wide open for the Mariners
from here.
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