Mohun Bagan’s Head coach Kareem Bencherifa has visited the nursing home in Central Kolkata to meet Shambhu Hazra, the diehard East Bengal fan. Hazra got a Myocardial Infarction during the Derby Match. He was in the gallery when his favourite team conceded five (5) goals against Mohun Bagan. Hazra was taken to the hospital. Mohun Bagan coach has contributed with Rs.10000, and asked for more for any further circumstances to his family. This is the rare case when coaches of Kolkata Maidan has shown such a sportsmanship and real humanism. Kareem has shown the way. Even though he has not commented anything regarding this matter.

Kareem was in the practice at Mohun Bagan ground Saturday afternoon after getting back with full three points from Shillong. After the practice session he went to the hospital and visited Mr. Hazra and talked to family of the East Bengal Supporter. Kareem prayed for an early recovery of Mr. Hazra. It is not the first time when the Moroccan Coach has done this type of social work. He has also helped Sanjib Jana, the die-hard fan of Mohun Bagan, died in an accident the day after the Federation Cup Final at Yuba Bharati Krirangan that Mohun Bagan won. Jana fell down from an upper tier while he was trying to put up a Mohun Bagan flag just before the match. Our club officials had also visited the ailing Mr. Hazra immediately after the match and had promised all possible help to his family.

It is saddening that a foreign coach shows so much compassion not only towards his own flock but also towards his fallen opposition. Our "own home-bred boys" are only busy trying to portray themselves as bigger than the Club that nurtured them and made them what they are today and hogging the media limelight. If only they had shown a fraction of the care that our head coach shows, it would make a world of difference.

La Paz today remained witness to the total professionalism of Mohun Bagan against their home team Shillong Lajong FC. Mariners defeated Lajong by 2-1 in the fifth round match of ONGC I League. Aibor scored from a penalty for the home team at 54th minute of the match, whereas mariners’ derby star Edeh Chiddi continued with his brilliant form to rescue Bagan from a 1 goal deficit. Chiddi scored a brilliant goal by heading in a Snehasis center at the 63rd minute of the match.
Three minutes later Brazilian Marcos Pereira had shown his class by a magnificent goal from a free-kick with his right footer instep, leaving a stunned Lajong goalie to fetch the ball.

The mariners had taken some time to understand the surface, which was justified because uneven bounce, invariable grass and hard surface didn’t help the players. From a James corner Snehasis had a free header at the near post but not in the target.The match was running basically in the middle third as mariners were trying to defend more than the attack. In this span of time Tuboi, the Lajong player was trying to get past Mohun Bagan defence quite a few occasion. Seven minutes after the lemon break Tuboi was pulled down from behind by Rakesh Masih inside the penalty box saw the referee have no qualms in pointing to the spot with skipper Aibor Khonjee coolly slotting it into the top corner. (1-0). Masih has been shown yellow card, and as a result Masih will miss the next match against Mumbai FC at home ground. After the goal the capacity crowd got absolutely fanatic in the stand as they were smelling the victory of their home team.
At 63rd minute of the match a brilliant center from Snehasis Chakraborty found the head of Edeh Chiddi and Chiddi made no mistake to net the ball. (1-1). Just three minutes later Mohun Bagan got a free kick just ahead of the center circle and Marcos Perriera this time scored a brilliant goal from his free-kick by his instep of right footer. (1-2)
Mohun Bagan used their experience as they slowed the pace of the game and played the ball in spaces with Chidi moving intelligently to disturb the composure of the Lajong backline.
Lajong should take heart from their performance as they were the better side for more than half of the game in terms of possession however, it was the experience and opportunism shown by Bagan which killed their chances of pulling off a shocker.

 Team: Sangram, Biswajit, Masih, Deepak, Surkumar, Snehasish (Zenith), Manish, Marcos, James, Chiddi, Ishfaq (Kulu).

 

REDEMPTION!!! 34 years of waiting comes to an end. 3 generations waited for this day. Finally it has come. After 34 years – Mohun Bagan has finally netted 5 (yes FIVE) goal in East Bengal’s net. When Chiddi left saturday’s practice, he promised to the supporters that he will score. But 4 goals ? FOUR ? Yes, the man of the match in sunday’s derby scored four goals alone. Young Manish scored the 5th for Mohun Bagan. One can be sure that Swapan Sadhan Basu and all mohun Bagan supporters in the whole world will emphasize the strength of the very name MOHUN BAGAN today.

Head Coach Karim Bencharifa will emphasise the strength of character and irrepressible attacking force that saw his team Mohun Bagan score five goals in a stunning 16-minute first-half and 20 mins second-half spell to destroy East Bengal team that were 1-0 ahead and cruising at the interval. Edeh Chiddi alone scored 4 goals, while Manish Maithani scored another for the team. Mohun Bagan looked beyond redemption as Chiddi and Manish struck for 5 times – and the supporters travelled back to 1975. Team Mohun Bagan and Head Coach must have believed their track record of last year’s iLeague.

The coach showed that he really had a Plan B up his sleeves and really delivered a telling blow, which left the opponents stunned. After conceding the lead early in the game Bagan exploded in a spell of 20 minutes and the score sheet changed to 1-3. Thereafter the opposition made a deft change and they were back in the game thanks to some daft goalkeeping by Shilton Paul. At the break the score stood at 3-3. It was the most nervous lemon break we have had in a long long time. The second half saw a transformed Bagan, the boys were running riot up and down the field. All departments did a splendid job and the result stood at 5-3 at 90 minutes. The opposition was left stunned and stupefied, it was one payback that they didn’t see coming. The coach should be given complete credit for the way the team turned around in the second half. However, the only bitter taste in the mouth was left by the custodian Shilton, whose temperament and the coach’s wisdom in fielding him has to be really questioned.

Mohun Bagan made a huge statement of their iLeague title intentions on Sunday when they beat East Bengal 5-3 at Yuva Bharati Krirangan to cut the gap on leaders Chirag United. Edeh Chiddi and Manish Maithani scored the goals as last year’s Runner up Mohun Bagan moved up, in the table. East Bengal needed to chase the game in the second half but mohun Bagan always looked the more likely to score again and Chiddi, who was superb throughout, made it five for Bagan and his fourth as he scored in 17th, 33rd, 46th and 66th minutes with Manish scoring in the 22nd minute. Chiddi’s two goals in the second half was the end of East Bengal’s resistance and Mohun Bagan rounded off a successful evening.

But it was not Mohun Bagan in the beginning. Both the teams started well with a few early chances. Then Nirmal Chettry scored for East Bengal in the 9th minute It was a replay of a Rahim Nabi 2nd goal in the last derby. Chettry was unmarked – and he scored with ease. The goal changed the body language of Bagan players. It started with one of the team’s best recruits of the season – Surkumar Singh. He snatches the ball from an East Bengal player in the midfield -dribbles Gobin well – gets near the side bar and a measured chip finds Chiddi. Chiddi was waiting for the ball to come and his shot made it 1-1. It was his 150th iLeague match. Jose Barreto wanted to make it memorable. Inthe 22nd minute his brilliant move from the right flank found Snehasish. Snehasish’s thrugh for Chiddi was equally brilliant. Nabi tried to clear the ball – but it went to Manish and a 25 yards power shot made it 2-1. Barreto and Chidd started changing positions – and East Bengal defenders soon ran out of ideas. In the 33rd minute Barreto moved from left and his cross for Chiddi made it 3-1.

After the third goal, East Bengal defenders and midfielders were found shivering – but then two mistakes from Shilton Pal made it 3-3. First a misunderstanding between Shilton and Masih found the ball cross the goal line. This horrible show was not enough – in the 44th minute Shilton and the defense again goofed up allowing East Bengal to score their third. Both goals were actually gifted by Bagan’s defenders and Shilton. Karim replaced Shilton with Sangram in the 2nd half. Sangram and Surkumar started guiding Masih and Mandi. Mohanraj also started taking extra load. But that happened much later. Chiddi scored in the 46th minute. Snehasish got past Mehraj – got control of the ball – crossed it to James, who passed it to Chiddi. Chiddi had his first hat-trick of the season. In the 53rd minute Mohanraj was booked. In the 57th minute Barreto was tackled nastily by Gobin – and he was not in a position to continue any more. He was replaced with Ishfaq. Barreto was found weeping as he left the ground. In the 66th Minute Chiddi scored the 5th goal for Bagan. The supporters roared in the stadium. It was another round of Diwali celebration all over Bengal. Then Marcos went down to stopper position, and led the team from there. In the 92nd minute Snehasish was replaced by Tomba, a minute after that, 60,000 people were found dancing in the stands, as if there’s no tomorrow.

Mohun Bagan :Shilton(Sangram), Mohanraj, Masih, Sagram ,Surkumar, Snehashis(Tomba),Manish,Marcos, James, Chiddi, Bareto (Isfaq)

East Bengal :Abhra, Nirmal, Mehraj, Govin, Nabi, Mitrovic (Alvito),Mehtab, Riston (Harmonjyot),Renedy (Subhas), Yakubu, Hammond

Picture Cortesy: Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal