Balwant Brilliance

Mohun Bagan got past DSK Shivajians today thanks to personal brilliance of Balwant Singh.

Bagan started with a careful note, with two defensive midfielders, but started losing the control of the game as DSK did well in intercepting the ball from time to time and their quick counter attack created panic for Bagan defense.

In one such attack DSK got the lead as Edu failed to clear the ball, and Pritam was clueless as DSK player Milan scored with a sprint past Bagan defense (0-1).

Bagan coach had to withdraw Sehnaz and replace him with Prabir, and this move helped Bagan get back into the game.

Yusa moved to the middle , and Pritam and Prabir started creating movements from right with Sony and Subhasis from left.
In one such movement a Pritam cross was half heartedly cleared by Subrata and Balwant header made it 1-1.

Soon a similar attack followed, and Balwant’s brilliance made it 2-1.

In the second half Balwant missed three chances to get his hat trick.

Later he was replaced with Jeje. Jeje was once pushed inside the box, and Bagan got penalty. Yusa converted the same by hitting at right of Subrata (3-1).

However, Bagan coach will have to see if Prabir can come into first XI and move Yusa to the middle. Prabir, Pritam, Pronay trio are doing well. So are Sony and Duffy with Subhasish’s support.

In fact Duffy was the man who was distributing the ball well, which helped Bagan keep control after conceding the goal.

However refereeing was extremely poor, Bagan was denied of three clear penalties. There were two occasions were Bagan players were hit off the ball directly by DSK players. But no card was shown. These types of refereeing seem to be from the same genre of Dinesh Nair’s and Santoshes which would benefit a specific team that for unknown reasons always get refereeing blessings.

Goalless Derby: A Good Game, and Better Refereeing

(Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times)

The East Bengal infested city of Siliguri saw a goalless end to the derby, with both teams actually playing seasoned and well thought out football and perhaps even better referring.

The build up to the derby was tense. East Bengal have always had the infamous knack of getting undue advantages from the referee & match officials in the past, sins unpunished, clock hands stretched and what not !

Hence, Bagan fans were prepared for the worst when to came to match refereeing, but were pleasantly surprised to see referee Srikrishna keep a good leash on the game. So kudos to the ref for that. Of course, Mehtab, Dika et al were up to their usual impish antics, but thats what they do best.

The match started off well, each team putting the other to a good test and battled for midfield supremacy. On one hand Sony Norde was kept on tight leash on the left flank, with a double marking at times, and got no space whatsoever for his down the flank runs. He of course showed his class off a few corners and passes, but today wasnt his day. On the other hand, the Bagan defensive trio of Anas, Edu & Subhashis did a great job of keeping Wedson & Plaza at bay. Tackles met tackles and tactics crossed paths.

Jeje had a sub par day at office, was perhaps struggling a bit with the uneven bounce of the Siliguri turf.The usually nimble footed Jeje seems to be losing his agility a little bit, which could be ominous signs for Indian football. Hope Jeje proves us wrong real soon !

Duffy was energetic and quite enterprising, tried a couple of solo runs but none of the moves were clinical. He dropped down to a more withdrawn role, ran up front when needed.

The first half was primarily dominated by Mohun Bagan (East Bengal did have 2 shots at goal, but were easily fended by Debjit). Bagan went really close to taking the lead on a couple occasions, especially off a corner, but EB custodian Rehnesh did an excellent job of keeping the scoreline intact. He was indeed the man of the match.

This league has seen EB start the 2nd half with a burst of energy, and Bagan did well to slow down the pace of the game at the start of the 2nd half. EB did have a few good moves, but none that really challenged the Bagan keeper Debjit, except for one occasion where Wedson had a clear shot at goal with only Debjit in front of him.

The Bagan front line lacked lustre and coach Sanjay Sen would have done well had he been a bit more courageous and brought in Balwant earlier in the game in place of Jeje. Balwant came in only in the 75th min,  and was starting to look dangerous before time ran out.

Sanjay did show a bold tactical move in bringing in Prabir Das on the right flank in place of an off color Sony and switching Katsumi to the right. This did bring in a burst of speed on both flanks.. but again, time was of essence.

Overall, it was a good game by both sides, and perhaps the score line was just reflection of the game today.

Bagan stay 2nd in the league table, with EB at top equal on points, but with better goal difference

 

Can the fans expect neutral refereeing?

Mohun Bagan has suffered a lot from refereeing , particularly some crucial matches in last few years. Incidentally not just Mohun Bagan, other iLeague clubs also were subject to refereeing errors, and it was allegedly found that only two clubs were benefited, one of them have withdrawn their team.

Dr Errol Sweeney, World Cup Referee Coach & Mentor, once said ” There are few people one can really trust in life. Among these would/should be the police, the clergy, your doctor, and one would hope, soccer referees. Sadly, while it is not very apparent, there are a few of our colleagues who are prepared to betray the trust put in them. ”

Unfortunately while likes of Zico, Robarto Carlos, the world cup winners , have criticized Indian refereeing, the referees were patted well by the football officials of the country instead of asking them to improve.

Serious questions have been raised for a particular referee and his abilities in the football ground. Questions are been raised on his biased approach towards various teams, and then when the said referee is selected for crucial iLeague matches , it is obvious that eyebrows will be raised.

FIFA or AFC should not shed their responsibilities as well. They should ensure proper anti-corruption guidelines are followed to ensure neutrality of refereeing in Indian football. Questions are been raised whether FIFA is having an eye towards the same or not.