I-League 2021-22: Win over Churchill Brothers FC keeps title race alive for Mohammedan SC
Mohammedan SC hosted Churchill Brothers FC at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Friday, May 6, with the hopes of keeping the championship race alive. The Black Panthers were six points behind league leaders Gokulam Kerala FC in the build-up to this encounter.
However, two goals from Marcus Joseph catapulted Andrey Chernyshov's side to a 2-0 win and closer to the Malabarians in the table, though not permanently. Gokulam Kerala won their match to keep their lead position intact.
Nikola Stojanovic's return acted as a catalyst for the Black Panthers heading into this fixture.
Mohammedan SC were the brighter side in the opening minutes, with the team fighting for every lost ball and looking to carve open the Churchill Brothers FC defense.
Antonio Fernandez's side struggled to make it out of their own half with the Black Panthers continuously pressing them. The away team's slow build-up fueled the opposition's intentions in the match. Shaher Shaheen and Wayne Vaz managed to read the opposition's long ball attempts and dealt with them accordingly.
The Black Panthers had an early opportunity to take the lead. Nikola Stojanovic's corner was met by Wayne Vaz. He had a free-header but the defender missed the chance to put the side into the lead.
The Red Machines had a difficult time trying to cope with the game. The side managed to steadily build an attack but failed to come up with a decent move in the opposition's half. Andrey Chernyshov's side were comparatively more lethal with Marcus Joseph leading their attack.
Mohammedan SC's Marcus Joseph scores a brace to silence Churchill Brothers FC
Churchill Brothers FC were slow in their build-up and usually found themselves in tight spaces outnumbered by Mohammedan SC players. Stojanovic intercepted one such move and passed the ball to Brandon Vanlalremdika, who was spotted making a run on the right flank.
Brandon picked up the pass and delivered a cross into the box for Marcus Joseph to score. The forward, during the build-up to the goal, cleverly went behind Suresh Meitei and jumped over his shoulders to head the ball into the net.
The Black Panthers did not seem happy with a single goal and proceeded on to hunt for a second. They kept pressing the opposition's defenders, forcing them to make errors and then capitalize on them.
They jammed the central channel, allowing the Red Machines to build from the flanks and then close them down as well. The high pressure was too much to take and forced Churchill Brothers FC's Komron Tursunov to retaliate after a Marcus Joseph tackle. The act forced the referee to show the player a red card.
With a man down, the Red Machines did not lose hope of a comeback into the game and kept whipping in long balls for Gnohere Krizo. But aimless balls failed to create any pressure on the Mohammedan SC defense.
Towards the end of the game, Zothanmawia launched the ball into the opposition's half, which was headed down towards Faisal Ali by Marcus Joseph. Ali ran into the box and attempted a low strike that was initially blocked by Shilton Paul.
However, Joseph picked up the rebound and struck again, this time finding the back of the net. The match finished in favor of Andrey Chernyshov's side, putting pressure on the league leaders.