Al Wehdat pip fighting Bagan

Mohun Bagan put up a spirited performance,led for a few brief minutes,and eventually lost 2-1 to premier Jordanian club Al Wehdat in the AFC Champions League match at the Howrah Municipal Stadium here this afternoon.

Mohun Bagan put up a spirited performance,led for a few brief minutes,and eventually lost 2-1 to premier Jordanian club Al Wehdat in the AFC Champions League match at the Howrah Municipal Stadium here this afternoon.

The Jordanian side came back from behind to log full three points after Rakesh Masih gave the home team the surprise lead in the 13th minute. Masih unleashed a brilliant 25-yard right-footer off a long square-pass from skipper Baichung Bhutia. But the celebrations in the Bagan camp didnt last long,as M Shelbaieh equalised for the visitors,capitalising on a defensive lapse to smartly head home a floater. All three goals came in the first half,with Al Wehdat scoring the winner through Abdel Fattah in the 42nd minute. The lanky midfielder controlled an excellent chip from Shelbaieh inside the penetrative zone and executed a sharp grounder past the Bagan custodian from inside the box.

Expectedly,Al Wehdat were distinctly ahead of the green-and-maroon brigade in terms of accelerating in the attacking-third through off-the-ball movement. The teams midfield functioned like a well-oiled machine,comprising Amar Deeb,Sapah and Abdel Fattah,who did the spadework. Bagans cog in the wheel Jose Barreto didnt play in the match.

In contrast,Mohun Bagan lost out in the midfield play,with young gun Lalram Luaha looking out of tune in the midfield. Lalrams inability to generate the required speed in both defending and initiating counter-attacks went on to help their opponents. Then again,Al Wehdat faced problems too handling an industrious Dipak Mondal.

The second session saw the experienced Marcos Pereira replacing Lalram in the midfield. Malsawmtluanga (Mama) and Branco Cordozo came on into the second half and lifted Bagans game a bit. With a few fresh legs around,Bagan,egged on by a 5000-strong crowd,took to the attack and a few sitters went their way as a result of the renewed onslaught.

A header from Branco off a Mohanraj centre,delivered from inside the box in the 79th minute,went straight into the hands of the Al Wehdat custodian. Three minutes on,a Marcos-shot was off-target and another opportunity went down. In the 87th minute,Marcos unleashed a header that was tantalizing close to finding the back of the net.

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