Srinagar: Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan went on top of the I-League 2019-20 standings with a fluent 2-0 win over Real Kashmir FC (RKFC) at the TRC ground in Srinagar on Sunday. The game which kicked-off at 11:30AM was entertaining throughout and it were the Kolkata visitors who ran out deserving winners in the end with second-half goals from Joseba Beitia and Nongdamba Naorem just two minutes apart.
The Green and Maroons had the lion's share of possession and more shots on target but the home side had more attempts and five more corners in the second game of the season in Srinagar.
Bagan now have 10 points from five games while Kashmir drop to eighth with five points from four games. The Mariners will next host Indian Arrows on January 9 whereas the Snow Leopards will host Punjab FC a day later.
Bagan coach Kibu Vicuna started with newly-signed Senegalese striker Babacar Diawara and brought in Dhanachandra Singh in the backline with Gurjinder Kumar who was suspended. Scotsman David Robertson, the RKFC coach, however preferred the same starting eleven which won against reigning champions Chennai City in the previous game.
The visitors were strong from the start and notched up as many as three corners in the space of the first six minutes.
Talented winger Nongdamba Naorem then had his first chance of the game when he had an opening inside the Kashmir box in the 22nd minute but his left-footed strike failed to cause any problem for Phurba Lachenpa in the Kashmir goal.
In the second half as Bagan continued to dominate possession, the home side had the few scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes. Bazie had a shot on the turn from deep inside the Bagan box in the 49th minute but it sailed over the crossbar.
Then Sankar Roy made the save of the game in the 65th minute to deny Mason Robertson with his header from close, off a Kallum Higginbotham set piece.
Kashmir had thrown in Ivorian striker Gnohere Krizo in the mix and had stepped up their attacks. However, it wwere Bagan who turned the match on its head within a space of two minutes.
First, of a long Dhanachandra Singh throw from the right-flank, Daniel Cyrus somehow managed to deflect the ball in the path of an onrushing Beitia. Beitia positioned his body perfectly to meet the ball with a right-footed jab, which powered its way through to the Kashmir net. Bagan took the 1-0 ahead with 71 minutes on the clock.
A couple of minutes later, another young Bagan talent Sk Sahil showed an outstanding vision to find substitute PM Britto's run down that same flank with a wonderful through ball. Britto rushed in and floated the ball in the box. Naorem, who had an outstanding game, was at the end of this one and blasted a perfectly-connected volley into the back of the net.
Kashmir did make valiant attempts to come back and Loveday Okechukwu perhaps missed their best chance to come back with less than five minutes to go. Krizo too had an attempt from close but to no avail.
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