BMFC defeat RCF

MUMBAI, SEPT 17: It was sweet revenge all right. Bengal Mumbai FC, who lost their first leg match to RCF, drew level today. One single mo...

MUMBAI, SEPT 17: It was sweet revenge all right. Bengal Mumbai FC, who lost their first leg match to RCF, drew level today. One single move in the first half gave them the match-winner, Jagjit Singh striking in the 18th minute.

But the match was hardly a spectacle. With the ground hard and presenting uneven bounce, much of the play was through the air. Well-intended moves came to nought due to the faulty bounce.

There were just two moments that was gratifying 8212; the one that got them the goal; and another in the first minute of the second half, when Adel Ansari delivered the perfect cross from the right for Jagjit Singh to head in. Jagjit8217;s choice of angle proved wrong as the ball missed the right post.

The goal came in the 18th minute when Adel trapped Lanachuba Imchen8217;s pass, bolted down the right, passed a defender, and set up Jagjit Singh who flicked it in with his right foot.

RCF8217;s plan of playing Atchuta Rao failed miserably and he was substituted after just 16 minutes by Sanjay Dayal. Dayal himself was taken off later in the game. In attack, Hassan al Fowad slowed down things to a crawl. Overall, RCF seemed clueless. They pushed forward in the initial moments, but once they conceded a goal, their thrust seemed to have vanished into thin air.

BMFC themselves seemed disorganised and the only plan that worked for them was the role of Lanachuba Imchen 8212; he worked as a spoiler and tirelessly too.

Despite the lead, BMFC faced pressure in the initial minutes of the second half. The central backs 8212; Harsharanjit Singh and Tapon Ghosh 8212; were solid but the sidebacks 8212; Sagar Amin and Peter Siddique 8212; looked shaky.

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Like Imchen in midfield, Konar had a decent game upfront, troubling the RCF defence till he was substituted late in the game.

The listless mood of the game seemed to affect referee Walter Pereira too, and the yellow card remained firm in his pocket, despite incidents of handling the ball and tackles from behind.

In the relegation league, Central Bank won 2-1 against MSP. Melwyn Vaz and Greville Crasto scored for the bank while Xavier Bernard reduced the margin in the dying moments of the game.