I-League: Table toppers Bagan held at Mumbai; Sporting outclass Bharat FC

Mumbai/ GOA: A late equaliser by Dhanachandra Singh saved the day for Mohun Bagan as home side Mumbai FC held the table table toppers 1-1 in the 20th round of I-League match at the Cooperage ground here on Saturday while Sporting Clube de Goa kept their chances of survival alive after recording a 2-0 victory over Bharat FC at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, on Saturday.
With the draw on Saturday, Mumbai FC climb one place above from eighth spot to seventh with 17 points from 17 games, while Bagan is in pole position with 32 points from 15 games.
The hosts were put ahead by Reisangmei Vashum in the 49th minute but Bagan scored the equaliser in the 76th minute.
The first half saw couple of aimless shots not yielding proper results for either side. But from the start of second half, both teams looked to go ahead with a couple of aggressive tackles and shots.
Four minutes into the second half, the hosts made the most of the opportunity as Jayesh Rane’s shot was smoothly headed into the goal by Vashum.
Mumbai after going ahead, got a couple of chances to double the scoring were foiled by good defending by Bagan.
The visitors finally were rewarded in the 76th minute for pressing hard at the opponent box for long.
Sony Norde’s flag-kick took a deflection to Dhanchandra unmarked at the far post. He trapped and shot to the roof of the net to put Bagan on level terms.
Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen gave full credit to the Mumbai club.
“Mumbai FC played well and deserved the point. They took the lead but we dominated thereafter and got the equaliser and could have scored more goals. But full credit to the home side,” he said at the post match press conference.
Mumbai FC manager Henry Picardo admitted that he is both satisfied and disappointed with the outcome of the match.
For Sporting, the win came via goals in either half from Brandon Fernandes (42nd minute) and Prathesh Shirodkar (51st minute). Sporting have now risen from the bottom of the pool above Bharat with 14 points from 16 matches.
But they are still in the relegation zone as Bharat, newcomers in the league, are free from relegation for three years.
It was Bharat, however, who could have surged ahead in the 11th minute if not for the goalpost which saved a header from Subhash Singh before Portuguese defender Miguel Garcia cleared it on the goal line.
Brandon was Sporting’s most influential player and created plenty of problems for the rival defenders. He went close three times, including one close range effort. But the player who has been on trials with English Premier League (EPL) clubs, proved his class in the 42nd minute when he converted from a free kick, just outside the box.
Sporting made it 2-0 in the 51st minute with Prathesh Shirodkar scoring a brilliant goal. He collected a ball from Chandrashekar Chinta from just outside the box and then weaved his way past two Bharat defenders before coolly slamming the ball into the top of the net.
Bharat tried hard but failed to stage a comeback as a resilient Sporting backline held strong till the final whistle. (IANS)