After narrowly missing out on the I-League title recently, Mohun Bagan now finds itself on the verge of elimination in the AFC Cup following a shock 5-2 defeat against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives here on Wednesday.
The crowd at Male’s National Stadium were treated to a spectacle in the Group E match as Maziya raced to an early lead through goals from Yasfaadh Habeeb (13th minute) and Mohamed Umair (27th).
When Alexsander Rakic (45th) added a third from a narrow angle just before the half-time, the game appeared over as a contest.
Ten-man Abahani downs Bengaluru FC 2-0
Straight after the restart, Mohun Bagan, which needed a win to stay afloat in the tournament, pulled a goal back through Kingshuk Debnath in the 48th minute.
However, it fell back to a three-goal deficit as Abdulla Asadhulla struck from the penalty spot before Rakic scored Maziya’s fifth at the hour mark.
Jeje Lalpekhlua scored a consolation from the spot in the 78th minute, but could not prevent Maziya earning a win which puts it in a commanding position to claim a top-two spot in Group E.
Mohun Bagan, which missed out on I-League title by a whisker to Aizawl FC, now has just three points from four matches. It has two games left — against Bengaluru FC at home on May 17 and Abahani Limited in Dhaka on May 31.
Maziya, on the other hand, is joint top of the group with Benagluru FC with nine points from four matches.
Comments
SHARE