I-League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Mohun Bagan drew with Chennai City FC
Mohun Bagan were held on their home turf once again as they drew with league leaders Chennai City FC. They match ended 1-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
After losing their last match against Churchill Brothers, the onus was on Mohun Bagan to deliver their best performance. They even started with a different approach this time but failed to get all the three points. With this draw, Mohun Bagan remained on fourth place with nine points from six matches.
The exclusion of Dipanda Dicka from the starting line-up also raised few questions. Coach Sankarlal Chakraborty included Henry Kisekka as a lone striker despite the Ugandan suffering a minor injury couple of days ago. Henry failed to pay back the trust of his coach.
Chennai should consider themselves unlucky as they hit the post twice in the match and should be grateful to get away with a point in a vital match like this, where they were not the better side on the pitch. Chennai remain on top of the I-League table with 17 points from seven matches.
Let us look the three season why Mohun Bagan drew with Chennai City:
#1 Mohun Bagan conceded late but put up a much better performance overall
Mohun Bagan looked like a depleted side in their last match against Churchill Brothers. Nothing went right for them against a side much less potent in terms of firepower. No one thought Mohun Bagan will lose by that margin. But despite a draw against a tougher team like Chennai City, Mohun Bagan showed their true character. They were unlucky to end up with a draw but green and maroon brigade played like a unit.
Mohun Bagan started attacking right from the start. Pintu Mahata was operating from the right side and talisman Sony Norde from left. But it was Norde who was more lethal. The Kolkata giants depended on the wings and were getting enough support from the central midfielders also. Pintu Mahata’s shot was saved by the Chennai ity in the 10th minute. The hosts should’ve killed the match within the first 15 minutes.
On the defensive part too, Mohun Bagan played well, until the last 10 minutes where may be a lack of concentration cost them two points. But in the first half, they kept hold of possession and were not giving any room to the Chennai players for making a pass. They were chasing every ball and giving Chennai City a run for their money.
This season, Mohun Bagan conceded late in their first two matches. The curse continued to haunt them against Chennai City too as Nestor Gordillo scored the equaliser in the 81st minute. Mohun Bagan will get a couple of weeks' time in their hand before the all-important match against East Bengal and coach should address this problem.