KOLKATA: Manvir Singh scored in the 85th minute as Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat Chennaiyin FC 1-0 in the Indian Super League at Salt Lake Stadium on Monday, a win that made it two in a row for the home side.
The goal came late in a match that had stayed goalless for most of the evening. Both teams had chances, and both goalkeepers made important saves, before the home side finally found a way through in the closing minutes.
Substitute Liston Colaco made the goal. He came on in the 82nd minute and delivered a precise cross from the left. Manvir met the ball in the box and guided it into the net with his chest from close range.
The win takes Mohun Bagan to six points from three matches. They sit fifth in the table after a start that has now brought back to back wins. Chennaiyin are still without a win after three matches, with only one point from a draw in their first game.
Chennaiyin rue missed chances
Chennaiyin will feel they should have taken something from the match. They created the better chances for long spells, but they could not finish them.
Playmaker Madih Talal ran the game for the visitors for much of the night. He set up Brison Fernandes, Irfan Yadwad and Namgyal Bhutia, but none of them could turn their openings into a goal.
The closest Chennaiyin came was in the 77th minute. Nikola Stojanovic struck a swerving left footed shot from distance, and goalkeeper Vishal Kaith got a touch on it to push the ball onto the crossbar.
Kaith was busy all evening. He also denied Yadwad and Talal with important saves, and he kept out a promising chance for Brazilian striker Ramon Tanque in the 61st minute after Talal had set him up.
At the other end, Chennaiyin goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz also had a strong game. He kept out efforts from Manvir and Scottish forward Lee Erwin, and he saved an attempt from Samir Zeljkovic. Alberto Rodriguez missed from close range after a corner.
Bagan short of key players
Mohun Bagan had to win without three important players. Jamie Maclaren, Miguel Figuera and Apuia were all out through injury, and their absence showed in the way the home side played.
Bagan started brightly, with Manvir and Erwin leading the early attacks. But they soon lost their rhythm, and Chennaiyin took control for long parts of the first half.
Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis tried to fix the midfield by moving Lallianzuala Chhangte into a new role. The change did not work at first, and it added to the confusion in the home side.
Dilmperis changed things at half time, sending on Sahal Abdul Samad for Chhangte. Anirudh Thapa then replaced Zeljkovic early in the second half. The home side went back to a more familiar shape in the final quarter, and the change helped them find their footing again.
The late substitutions proved to be the turning point. Colaco and Abhishek Suryavanshi came on for Deepak Tangri and Dejan Drazic in the 82nd minute, and within three minutes Colaco had set up the winner.
What the result means
The win keeps Mohun Bagan moving in the right direction after a mixed start to the season. Two wins in a row at home will give the squad confidence, even with key players still out injured.
For Chennaiyin, the wait for a first win goes on. They have drawn once and lost twice, and they have now paid a heavy price for missed chances in back to back games.
The visitors did much of the hard work in Kolkata. They defended well, they created openings, and they were only denied by the woodwork and by Kaith. But football is decided by goals, and Manvir took the one clear chance that mattered.
The Indian Super League season is still young, and both teams have plenty of matches left to shape their campaigns. Mohun Bagan will look to build on their winning run, while Chennaiyin must find a way to turn good performances into points before the gap to the teams above them grows.
