Bagan off and running

Mohun Bagan took time to get into the groove,but once they got the rhythm it turned out to be a walk in the park.

A 4-0 victory margin against Tollygunge Agragami in their Calcutta Football League (CFL) opener on home turf on Wednesday will give Bagan’s new coach Stanley Rozario some relief after a nervy first half. The defending champions barely managed to create any goal-scoring opportunity in the first 45 minutes and the only goal they scored in that half came from a controversial penalty. Muritala Ali scored from the spot after Tollygunge skipper Sunderlal Hembram handled the ball inside the area while trying to negate Barreto. It was unintentional but the referee awarded a penalty.

Bagan upped the ante in the second half and Barreto was on the score sheet in the 68th minute. An own goal by Hembram in the 89th minute made it 3-0,while substitute Edeh Chidi completed the rout.