AFC CUP: Abahani Limited Dhaka beats Aizawl FC 3-0 in Group E encounter.

By Rajarshi Chakrabarty                                                                                                                   Image Source:The-AFC

Three first-half goals saw Aizawl FC being decimated by a 3-0 loss in the group E clash of the AFC Cup matchday three on Wednesday against Abahani Limited Dhaka,

Aizawl FC's accident-prone defense was tested early on, as Rubel Miya tried his luck inside the box after some intelligent work by Emeka Onuha in a quick attack on the break. The shot took a deflection of Lalrosanga's feet to land at the back of the net as Abahani took 1-0 lead in just 2^nd minute into the game.

Ndaku Alison soon added a second in the 28th minute, as Aizawl FC failed to deal with a corner as Sunday Chizoba's header was cleared off the line but Alison was positioned perfectly to slot it into the goal to make it 2-0 for the visitors.

Aizawl FC's effort to regroup was dealt another blow in the 37th minute when left back Nasiruddin's cross was headed down by Chizoba onto the path of Seiya Kojima inside the box.The Japanes chested it down and hammered it past Lalwnpuia to set Abahani 3-0 ahead in the game.

Aizawl FC managed to consolidate their leaky defense in the second half with introduction of Andrei Ionescu added more control in the midfield pairing with Masih Saighani.

Both teams, failed to add any further goals to their tally as Abahani managed to bag all three points with a comfortable 3-0 win as both sides meet again on 25th April at Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka in Aizawl's away game.

AFC CUP: Bengaluru FC stays on top of Group E with a 1-0 win over New Radiant SC

By Rajarshi Chakrabarty                                                                                                  Image Credit: The-AFC

Bengaluru FC managed to steal a scrappy 1-0 win over New Radiant SC(Maldives) in their Group E encounter at Sree Kanteerava Stadium with a late goal from Nishu Kumar(90+1’)

The visiting sides dominated the game in terms of possession as Bengaluru FC rested a few of their first-team regulars due to their crucial Super Cup quarter-final game against NEROCA FC in few days’ time.

Sunil Chhetri was kept out of the playing XI as Thongkosiem Haokip paired with Daniel Segovia upfront in Albert Roca's 3-5-2 formation.

Haokip had a chance early in the 15-minute mark as goalkeeper Imran Mohammed came off his line to clear a long ball but his failed clearance fell to Haokip. Haokip took a shot on the goal but Haroon Amiri’s  goal line headed clearance saved the goalkeepers blushes.

Haokip was again involved as he intercepted a defensive square pass and played it to Daniel Segovia in a quick turn of attack, but the striker could not take his shot early and was swarmed by Radiant SC defenders to avert any further danger.

Bengaluru FC Coach Albert Roca made three tactical changes in the second half bringing in Subhash Bose, Victor Perez, and Sunil Chhetri.

The move finally played off in the first minute of extra time, as New Radiant SC playing a high line were caught on the break as Sunil Chhetri managed to break away with a solo run into the Radiant SC half and laid it off for Nishu Kumar advancing from the left back, who had a simple tap-in to make it 1-0.

With this win, Bengaluru FC sits on top of Group E with nine points as they face the same opponent at an away game on 25th April at the National Stadium, Male.

Hero Super Cup: Mohun Bagan tailors Shillong Lajong 3-1, seals Semi-Final spot

By Rajarshi Chakrabarty

Hero Super Cup witnessed the exit of the second north-eastern club in less than a week after Shillong Lajong were inflicted a 3-1 defeat in the quarter-final by a clinical Mohun Bagan on Wednesday at the Kalinga Stadium.

A goal each from Sheikh Faiaz, Nikhil Kadam and an own goal from Samuel Doe completed Lajong's misery as they managed one consolation goal from Abdoulaye Koffi.

Mohun Bagan opened the scoring early on the12th minute when Dicka chipped the ball into the box to Sheikh Faiaz who was swarmed by Lajong defenders but still managed to skillfully turn the ball into the back of the net despite being floored on the pitch as Lajong defenders failed to deal with the ball.

Mohun Bagan doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when Samuel Doe's headed clearance landed at the feet of Nikhil Kadam who unleashed a venomous left-footed curler that landed inside the goal kissing inside of the bar.Referee Santosh Kumar awarded the goal to Mohun Bagan after consulting with the linesman as Mohun Bagan sat pretty on a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Shillong Lajong had their chance to make a comeback into the game when they were awarded a penalty in the 25th minute after Samuel was brought down inside the box was Kingshuk Debnath.

The Lajong skipper himself stepped up to take the spot kick but his shot was saved by Shilton Paul but Lajong hit back almost immediately after Abdoulaye Koffi headed-in from inside the box taking advantage of some indecisive defending from Mohun Bagan, to make it 2-1 on the 25^th minute.

The game was put beyond contention in the 60th minute when right back Arijit Bagui delivered a long ball into the box as both Akram Moghrabi and Samuel Doe dived to reach to the ball. The ball, unfortunately, took the touch of Doe's intended headed clearance to land at the back of the net.

With a comfortable 3-1 win the Mariners sailed into the Semi-Final and are due to meet the winner between Bengaluru FC and NEROCA FC.

Hero Super Cup: Last minute penalty breaks Aizawl FC hearts, East Bengal in semis with a 1-0 win.

By Rajarshi Chakrabarty

Aizawl FC faced quarter-final heartbreaks after being knocked out by East Bengal  in their quarter final match through a last minute conceded penalty as former Aizawl player Laldanmawia Ralte scored from the spot(90+5’)  to give East Bengal a 1-0 win.

Aizawl goalkeeper Lalawmpuia's heroics kept East Bengal at bay throughout the 90 minutes. East Bengal enjoyed the possession as Katsumi and Mahmoud Al-Ammna controlled the game from midfield.Aging striker Dudu Omagbemi had odd chances throughout the game but failed to convert,the best one coming on the 28th minute as the advancing striker failed to connect to Samad Ali Mullick's low cross with an open net at his disposal.

The afternoon kickoff and sultry heat took its' toll on players as the game were slow and measured,Aizawl FC's bests chance came in the 41st minute when Andrei Ionescu found himself in space unleashed a brilliant left-footed strike, only to miss the target narrowly.

Back in the second half, on the first minute, Dudu had a brilliant chance to open the scoring as he rounded off the advancing keeper but failed to keep the ball within the target as his left-footed curler strayed wide.

East Bengal finally got the break deep into the injury time when Al-Ammna played a through ball to Kromah into the box and Kromah managed to get the first touch to the ball before onrushing keeper Lalawmpuia brought him down inside the 18-yeards box.

The referee straightaway pointed to the spot and former Aizawl man Laldanmawia Ralte converted from the spot to confirm East Bengal's ticket to the semi-final of the Hero Super Cup where the winner of Jamshedpur FC against FC Goa's match awaits them.

Super Cup: FC Goa pips ATK 3-1 to confirm Quarter Final Spot

ATK's woeful season continued as the Kolkata side was humbled to a 3-1 defeat by FC on Tuesday at Kalinga Stadium.ATK player-manager Robby Keane's side couldn't turn the fortunes after a disastrous ISL season in the Super Cup being knocked out of the competition in their opening game. ATK lacked the depth and penetration as Robby Keane's battle was not enough to save ATK facing FC Goa's free-flowing football.
FC Goa attacking trio of Ferran Corominas, Brandon Fernandes and Mandar Rao Desai run amok the ATK defense with speed, distribution and variations in the attack.
ATK's side looked woefully out of shape and sloth at times as they were stretched by FC Goa's wing technicians Mandar and Brandon from the flanks while Edu Bedia was controlling the game from the central pitch.

FC Goa opened the scoring at the 45-minute mark when Edu Bedia's precision-guided pass threaded the ATK backline and found Ferran Corominas.Corominas was played on-side by Ashutosh Mehta beating the offside trap to unleash a powerful shot from close range to give FC Goa the crucial lead just before half-time
Back from the halftime, ATK struck back almost immediately as Robby Keane found the back of the net in the 50th minute as Zequinha's headed assist found Anwar Ali in the box who played it onto Robby Keane in the far post.Robby Keane showed his composure and acumen of a complete striker to skillfully slot the ball at the back of the net to restore the parity at 1-1.
As the match progressed, FC Goa enjoyed great possession and showed clarity in thinking as Hugo Boumous and Ferran Corominas combined well to knock ATK's door.Hugo Boumous finally found the back of the net on the 70th minute as he found himself in space inside the box from Coros delightful chip to rattle the net and put FC Goa on a 2-1 lead.
ATK's Hitesh Sharma, Mbatha and Zequinha had their moment's in the game but ATK failed to execute proper penetration in the attacking third as FC Goa piled on their misery through Brandon Fernandes's goal on the 77th minute to seal ATK's fate in the tournament.
FC Goa, by the virtue of this win, has confirmed their place in the quarter-final while ATK's horrendous season comes to an end.
 This well could be the last game of Robby Keane as a player, as the 38-year-old is unlikely to return as a player, leaving behind his memorable goals and  trademark celebrations to be etched in the memory of football fans.

Sanjiban's gloves save the day for Jamsdepur FC, beats Minerva Punjab FC 4-3 in tie-breakers

  By Rajarshi Chakrabarty                                                                                               Image Source:The AIFF

The end to end battle of the I-League Champions Minerva Punjab FC and Jamshedpur FC was eventually decided on penalties as both sides failed to find the back of the net during the 120-minutes at Kalinga Stadium on Monday.

The battle was evenly poised between the two teams as Minerva's potent attack led by Bhutanese goal machine Chencho Gyaltsen paired with William Opoku faced off with Jamshedpur FC's solid center-back duo of Indian International Anas and Brazilian Trindade Goncalves.

The match had everything a fan could hope for as two teams with distinct tactical game plan went into the game to seek an edge.Both sides came close to opening the scoring, the first real chance fell to Bikash Jairu whose left-footed curler found the bar.

As Chencho threatened the Jamshedpur FC defense time and again but lack of quality in finishing within the 18 yards box kept the game on a tender hook.Girik Khosla found himself in an advantageous position from Akash Sangwan's through ball as Jamshedpur FC were playing a high defensive line, but Girik failed to beat an advancing Sanjiban from the one-on-one position.

Back in the second half, the forward trio of Chencho-Opoku and Sangwan created fault lines in the Jamshedpur's defense as Opoku found himself in front of an open goal from a loose ball deflected by Sanjiban's save off Sangwan's freekick, but Opoku headed it wide.

As the game progressed into the final quarter, Minerva looked more ominous but they kept wasting galore of opportunities as Sanjiban's heroics kept the Minerva wave at bay.

Locked at 0-0 at the end of ninety minutes, the match eventually rolled into the extra time as both teams opted for a cautious approach and made sure not to concede any late goals in the knock-out encounter.The cagey and tight approach from both teams ensured none of the teams could steal a late goal as the match went into penalties.

In the penalty shoot-out, it was locked at 3-3 as Sanjiban's heroics proved to be the difference saving Bali Gagandeep's shot in “sudden-death” after Mehtab Hussain scored for Jamshedpur, to send Jamshedpur FC into the quarter finals.

Hero Super Cup Update: Mohun Bagan beats Churchill Brothers 2-1 to book a quarter final berth.

By Rajarshi Chakrabarty

Dipanda Dika inspired Mohun Bagan to a 2-1 win in their opening game of Hero Super Cup 2018 at Kalinga Stadium Saturday.

Mohun Bagan found themselves a goal down on 30th minute from a defensive error of Arijit Bagui as Willis Plaza slotted the ball past Shilton Paul to give Churchill Brothers 1-0 lead.

Mohun Bagan despite a goal down managed to control the game as Yuta Kinowaki and Watson continued to string passes and constructed attack down both flanks.Sheikh Faiz and Nikhil Kadam switched flanks often as attacks from the channel along the touchline stretched the Churchill defense.

Both Kadam and Faiz delivered aerial supplies to forward Dipanada Dicka and Akram Moghrabi as Churchill looked vulnerable and the pressure finally paid off at the stroke of half-time as Nicholas Fernandes's late tackle sent Sheikh Faiz on the floor. The referee had pointed to the spot as Dipanda Dicka stepped up to take the penalty, scored on his second attempt after his initial shot was stopped by the keeper Ricardo Cardozo.

Mohun Bagan kept the momentum alive in the second half pegging Churchill Brothers deep in their own half as Yuta Kinowaki came close to scoring but his curler from 20 yards out was saved by Ricardo.

As Mohun Bagan piled the pressure, the deadlock was broken on the 70th minute with a wonderful team goal.Watson's long ball found Akram Moghrabi into the box who headed it down to the path of an advancing Dipanda Dicka, I-League's top scorer took the opportunity gleefully to slide it past the keeper to make it 2-1.

Mohun Bagan contained Churchill keeping the possession and rallied the ball around as they looked the dominant side.There was no late drama as Mohun Bagan cruised to a 2-1 win to book a place in the quarter final.