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90+4' FULL-TIME: And there's the whistle marking what can be called a major upset at the Mohun Bagan Ground. Who would have expected the Mariners to go down 3-0 in its CFL opener? We didn't. Sure you guys didn't as well.
The Man of the Match rightfully goes to the Liberian midfielder Ansumana Kromah. What a day it has been for the 27-year-old!
90+1' PENALTY! But is it too late?
Chamorro to take it. And what an ordinary shot. The scoreline stays the same as Kaitan dives to the right to save that effort.
90' That's four minutes of added time ladies and gents.
85' YELLOW CARD: Naorem is on the ground after being kicked on the shin by Avinabo Bag.
PEERLESS SUBSTITUTION: Edmond Peprah IN. Ansumana Kromah IN
78' 3-0 ANOTHER! Shilton steps out again. This is absolutely novice stuff from the experienced campaigner. Kromah wins the ball after Shilton Paul loses his balance after clashing with teammate Arijit Bagui. Another lob later, there is no one to stop that from finding the back of the net.
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76' LAXMIKANTA MANDIIIIIIIIIIIIII! GOAAAAAAAAAAAAL! This was coming. Pankaj Moula the man yet again. A wonderful pass to Mandi and seeing Shilton high up, he lobs one and the ball rolls in at an easy pace into the goal.
75' How Jahar Das hasn't treaded the often taken path is commendable. Often a weaker side would prefer switching to a more defensive approach after taking an early lead. But in this case, Peerless has kept upping its pace and counter-attacking approaches.
MOHUN BAGAN SUBSTITUTION: SK FAIZ OUT. SUHAIR IN.
YELLOW CARD: Laxmikanta Mandi
68' Played into the box.... And shot wide. You cannot expect these from talented footballers like Joseba Beitia, especially when your side is trailing and isn't ticking all the boxes right. MB losing possession one too many times today. The Mariners have found themselves in trouble every time Peerless has made it a bit deep into the MB half.
65' How could one possibly miss that? An open goal and Wolfe has lobbed it wide. Shilton Paul was absolutely clueless as he had already rushed in too high up to be of any help. Peerless misses another chance to make it 2-0
62' Peerless breaching the MB defence every 30 seconds now. Vicuna is furious. The crowd adding to the pressure.
PEERLESS SUBSTITUTION: Nuruddin OUT. Laxmikanta Mandi IN
58' A series of attempts on the goal from Kromah and Anil. A wonderful pass from Wolfe sees Anil go for a left-footed attempt, which finds the woodwork. Kromah meanwhile, shoots one wide, seconds later. Peerless slamming on the attack and pace button simultaneously now.
56' YELLOW CARD: Arijit Bagui booked. Kisko collects a ball deep in the Mohun Bagan half. Bagui pulls his jersey and Kisko is on the ground.
54' OHHHHH MY GOD! That was so close. Chamorro covers his face with his palms. He knows that these opportunities only present themselves once.
Skipper Dhanachandra Singh with a cross deep into the box. Finds Romario. Romario heads. Finds Chamorro and it deflects from the post. So very close!
52' Tonmoy to take a freekick from what can be called a spot of worry for Shobuj Merun . An inswinging curler on the cards? Yes, but the power on it is too high. OUT!
47' Peerless heaves a sigh of relief after Kallon clears one above the head of the goalie. Only a few minutes onto the field, Imran Khan's searching cross for Salvo Chamorro has been directed to safety. A little bit of a misunderstanding between goalie James and Ramendeep.
46' Peerless SC to attack from the Fort William end now as Mohun Bagan is all set to charge from the Eden Gardens end.
MOHUN BAGAN SUBSTITUTION: Imran Khan walks out in place of Sukhdev Singh. Nongdamba Naorem comes out in place of Azaharuddin.
Do not go anywhere. We will be back with the second half action LIVE shortly!
HALFTIME: WHISTLE! The fans are disappointed as Shobuj Merun collectively fails to impress in its first Calcutta Football League outing. The defence, while Peerless has carried on with its ferocious counter-attacking, has been mostly caught napping. It has been the brilliance of Shilton Paul that has saved the side from further disappointment on more than one occassion.
45+2' Nuruddin wins the ball from a sloppy MB defence and uses his pace to rush with the intention of landing a cross in front of Kromah but misfires.
43' Chamorro rushes up the right flank again feeding the ball to Sk. Faiaz. Do we have something brewing here? SHOOOOOOOOOOT and missed! What an interception by Kallon!
38' Real Sociedad academy graduate Joseba Beitia takes the corner and has been successfully intercepted by the Peerless defenders. Jahar Das' boys have been impeccable in the defence today. The 4-4-2 moreover has added to the strength of the midfield in addition to offering further width to the side.
29' Salvo Chamorro is being targeted as he is constantly being man-marked. After his brace on Friday on his debut against Mohammedan Sporting, we aren't that surprised. The commentators are already comparing him to veteran strikers Ranjit Mukherjee, Dipu Das, Asim Ghosh and Shishir Ghosh.
21'GOAAAAAAAAAL! Ansumana Kromah played into the box with a wonderful through ball and he converts with a lovely finish. History repeats itself! Mohun Bagan needs to respond and soon.
20' Peerless defenders, meanwhile, whenever they are gaining control of the ball, are going for the longer passes. The strikers too are taking shots at the target from quite some yards outside the box. Hungry for an early lead?
Meanwhile, Anil Kisku's effort has been cleared after Peerless' push through the right wing.
15' YELLOW CARD: Ridiculous! Peerless goalie James Kaitan has been booked. Kaitan, who was waiting to grasp the ball, lets it slip with Sk. Faiaz breathing down his neck. A dangerous tackle was all he could afford as Faiaz lay writhing in pain. Desperate times call for desperate measures as they say!
12' Freekick! Pankaj Moula has a chance to go for the goal. But he misses it. MB's wall does the job. Cleared!
8' It might be said that until now Mohun Bagan has had a better control of the ball but Peerless has been keeping it tight as well. The 4-4-2 formation is working out well for Jahar Das' boys. Meanwhile, Kromah has a strong go at the target rushing on from a counter. But we all know what Shilton Paul is capable of! He pulls off a breathtaking save.
5' What was that? That is some sloppy work from the skipper himself! Dhanachandra Singh rushes from the left flank to take an attempt at a cross. It is way wide and high off target. Chamorro isn't a happy man as he walks up to the captain to have a chat with the captain.
2' And an early freekick after Ramendeep intercepts a through ball from MB skipper Dhanachandra Singh to Salva Chamorro. Beitia takes it. Do we see another stunning curler into the back of the net like the one in the previous match? NO. The shot finds the wall.
1' KICKOFF: And here we go! Mohun Bagan starts the campaign in the hunt of its 31st title in the 12-team league.
Match being delayed a bit as the match officials examine a section of the net to avoid controversies later on during the match.
The players and match officials are walking out on to the field. Meanwhile, the commentators let us know that it is housefull out there today.
02:54 PM: The tactical brilliance of the Spaniards in the Mohun Bagan dugout or the brute strength of the Africans in the Peerless squad. Which side of the field are you on? Which side takes the three points home tonight?
02:50 PM: Not far from here, we also have Bengaluru FC playing Army Red in Durand Cup at the Salt Lake arena. My colleague Shyam Vasudevan, who will bring you all the updates, has some interesting match facts for you here .
02:47 PM: Durga Puja's arrived early? The fans are here with the ceremonial dhak. Kolkata, sure is obsessed about the sport!
02:30 PM: Here are the lineups for the game today:
Mohun Bagan: Shilton Paul, Arijit Bagui, Gurjinder Kumar, Sukhdev Singh, Dhanachandra Singh, Sk. Faiaz, Fran Gonzalez, Joseba Beitia, Azaharuddin, Romerio Jesuraj, Salva Chamorro
Peerless SC: James Kaitan, Avinabo, Kallon, Ramendeep, Tonmoy, Nuruddin, Dipankar, Pankaj Moula, Anil Kisku, Wolfe, Kromah
Match Referee: Pranjwal Banerjee
02:30 PM: The stands are already filling up in the colours of Maroon and Green. The noise is deafening! Isn't this going to be one helluva mouthwatering contest?
02:23 PM: Mohun Bagan senior official Debashish Dutta tells official broadcaster Sadhna News that he has full confidence that Mohun Bagan will start its CFL campaign on a high and will bag three points after the match today.
Defending champion Mohun Bagan will begin its Calcutta Football League (CFL) title defence with a high-voltage clash against last season's runner-up Peerless at its home ground on Monday.
Mohun Bagan started the 2019-20 season with a 2-0 win over Mohammedan Sporting in a Durand Cup encounter, courtesy a brace from newly-acquired Spanish striker Salva Chamorro.
Peerless, on the other hand, will be looking to register its first win of the campaign. While it was held to a 2-2 draw by Southern Samity in its first match, the side slipped to a loss to Aryan Club in the second tie. It is however one of the favourites to finish at the top of the title race.
Calcutta Football League: List of fixtures
This match would provide the Mariners coach, Kibu Vacuna, a chance to test the team's bench strength ahead of the I-League.
The last time these two teams clashed, in August 2018, the match ended in a draw after Liberian midfielder Ansumana Kromah netted during the final minutes of the match, neutralising Henry Kisseka's opening goal for the Green and Maroon brigade.
Where to watch?
The match will be telecast live on Sadhna News and its Youtube Channel from 3pm IST.
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