AFC Cup qualifiers: Mohun Bagan 1-1 Valencia, 5 talking points
Mohun Bagan played out a 1-1 draw with Maldives outfit, Valencia, in their first-leg encounter in AFC Cup qualifier.
Darryl Duffy scored an early goal when he slammed the ball into the back of the net after being teed up by Prabir Das with a delightful cross. Godfrey Omodu repealed Duffy’s early strike when he drilled the ball into the net from the spot.
The match was an evenly contested one where both the teams squeezed their hearts out and the result was an apt one. Despite an upbeat performance in the first-half, Bagan seemed to run low on gas after the breather. Valencia, on the contrary, staged a strong reprisal and compelled Shilton and Anas to come to their rescue.
We will now sneak a peek into those 5 points that heavily impacted the match.
#1 Prabir Das reigned supreme in the Bagan midfield
Prabir Das was an absolute sensation in Bagan’s midfield as he dictated terms. After getting a nod to start the game, he combined brilliantly with Bikramjit and Raynier Fernandes to whip in those defence-splitting passes. He was also instrumental with his lightning fast runs down the right flank to curl in crosses for Duffy and Balwant.
Prabir Das was the one who laid the foundation of the first goal for Mohun Bagan. He sped past a couple of defenders with an outside dodge and whipped in a delectable cross for Duffy. Duffy did excellently well to latch onto the ball and slot it past a stranded Valencia custodian into the goal.
Prabir’s unrelenting runs down the right always kept the Valencia defenders on their toes. He could have got the second assist for the night only if Bikramjit could have been on target. Prabir Das teed up Bikramjit Singh with a lovely chance only for the latter to rattle the woodwork with his powerful pile-driver.
Prabir created an ocean of opportunities for Balwant, Duffy, and Katsumi to score but those chances went begging as none of them were up to the task.