Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant started their title defence with a hard fought solitary goal win over Downtown Heroes FC in the opening game of the 133rd Durand Cup which was played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharti Krirangan. Suhail Bhat scored the goal for the winners.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant Assistant Coach Bastab Roy named a starting eleven with a mix of first team players and the reserves including new signing Tom Aldred and first team players Asish Rai, Glan Martins and Abhishek Suryavanshi. Downtown Heroes FC Head Coach Hilal Rasool Parray named his strongest lineup with French defender Redah Atassi leading the team and Liberian attacker Darius Snorton Perwood leading the forward line.
It was the team from Kashmir that started brightly in attack with Mohammad Inam testing Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Syed Hussain Bukhari inside ten minutes with a shot on target. They were taking advantage of ‘The Mariners’ mistakes and lack of coordination in creating better openings, but failed to convert those chances with the final touch missing in front of goal. Aafreen Parray was brilliant down the left flank, troubling the Mohun Bagan defence but lacked the finishing to open the scoring for his side. The best chance of the half fell for Downtown Heroes’ Liberian striker Darius Snorton who foxed Raj Basfore inside the box and with only the keeper to beat, he lashed his shot wide of the post. ‘The Mariners’ could not test the Downtown Heroes defence in any way with Taison Singh’s effort which hit the crossbar, being the only meaningful attacking moment for the Kolkata giants.
Better Second Half Performance by the Mariners
Mohun Bagan started the second half better keeping the ball and looked promising while going forward with Taison Singh, Suhail Bhat and Salahudheen Adnan finding space in the Downtown Heroes half. Even though the Kolkata side managed their first shot on target in the 60th minute, they were moving the ball forward with much more intent. The Mariners broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute through a wonderful team move. Taison, slipped a ball through for the overlapping Asish Rai and the right back found Suhail Bhat free inside the six yard box and the Kashmiri striker slotted the ball inside an empty net to give his team the lead.
Downtown Heroes tried to put pressure after conceding but could not break the defence of Mohun Bagan who kept it tight at the back and managed the rest of the game well including the eight minutes of injury time. Suhail Bhat was adjudged the Player of the Match.
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