Barreto,crowd make Bagan feel at home

It weren’t their efforts nor their opening goal that seemed to create a stir among the packed crowd,but in fact the three cards,including the red for Uttam Kumar,which were brandished against their players that brought out the biggest cheer. And the rickety stands at the legendary venue shook threateningly,each time the visitors got anywhere near the Air-India goal,sending the partisan crowd into a delirious frenzy. The small contingent of Kolkata pressmen,may have been left fuming on Saturday evening,as East Bengal allowed Mumbai FC to stage a remarkable comeback; but it was their turn to rejoice,as buoyed by their amazing supporters and thanks mainly to some Brazilian magic,Mohun Bagan returned the favour by rallying back from a goal down to win 2-1.

Jose Ramirez Barreto had nothing much to prove to enhance his prowess as a striker,but he struck once with the head,and then with a brilliant right,to shut out Air-India,who played their own part in the exciting contest.

The airmen kicked off without the services of prolific scorer Surojit Bose and Nigerian playmaker Michael Tayo,who was sent off in their last game against Mohammedan Sporting. But Kailash Patil,former Mohun Bagan player Gourango Biswas,and Subhas Singh kept the visitors honest,and kept their defenders on their toes. And there were no eyebrows raised,when Subhas clutched onto a pass from Patil,and tapped the ball past Sangram Kukherjee to give Air-India a surprising lead in the 19th minute.

The early reversal though seemed to give Bagan the much needed shake-up and the likes of Ishfaq Ahmed and L James Singh started taking the game to the home side,and created chances for Baretto and captain Bhaichung Bhutia up front. And it was from a James Singh corner that the Brazilian brought the Kolkata giants back into the game,as he headed past Swarup Das seconds from the half-time whistle.

The second half also saw an exciting contest between both sides,as neither seemed prepared to stop trying for the winning goal,and settle for a 1-1 draw,which was the result the last time the two teams met. The Bagan strikers looked comparatively more incisive,and in the 69th minute,Ishfaq did the star turn,literally,as he turned the Air-India defense around on a counterattack,and set Baretto up on the right flank,who pounded the ball past a diving Das.

Substitute Emmanuel Ovieghara did get a chance to level the score late in the game,but unfortunately for the airmen ended up hitting the side-post,with no Red jersey in sight to receive the rebound. Uttam’s sending-off after collecting a second yellow card,did send tempers flaring both on and off the field,but it didn’t manage to take the shine off an evenly contested encounter.

Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa was all praise for his match-winner and believed Baretto was the perfect role-model for all the young footballers in India. “I also tend to highlight his devotion during the practice sessions,rather than his game,which everyone is aware of,” he said. The Morrocan insisted that beating Air-India in an away fixture was a terrific performance by his team. “They combated the windy conditions excellently well today,and apart from the first 20 minutes,we dominated for the most part,” he revealed.

Bagan inched closer to the top,and are now placed just a point short of Sporting Club de Goa,who sit on top with 28 points.

Elsewhere,Mahindra United were comfortable 2-0 winners over Chirag United in Kolkata,with goals from Edeh Chidi and Steven Dias,while the Goan derby saw a 1-1 draw between Dempo and Churchill Brothers in Margao.