Mahindra edge past Chirag United

Not to take away any credit from the young Chirag goalie, who made his debut in the high-pressure match after replacing an injured Shibram Dey in the 38th minute, the youngster had an excellent match under the bar.

Although the match went goalless for the larger part, Mahindra clearly showed that they were the better side. On no more than just two stray occasions that the Kolkata outfit came close to posing a threat. And both the moves, initiated by Theodore Sunday and Maduako Francis respectively, saw Chirag breach past the opposition defence, only for Francis to misfire, on both occasions.

Mahindra gave the Kolkata side a lesson in how to dominate the middle-third of the field, even as they kept testing the Chirag defence every now and then. But the defiant show of Chirag goalies frustrated Mahindra forwards no end, who were getting everything right except for the breakthrough. The lone goal apart, the closest Mahindra came to scoring was when Ajayan8217;s left-footer rebounded off the post after beating custodian Dey.

For Chirag United, one heartening outcome of the match was the dogged attitude of its young brigade, in particular the defence, which managed to keep the Mahindra forwards in check during the match.

Chirag coach Amal Dutta8217;s decision to field defender Wazid Ali in the central midfield worked wonders for the Kolkata outfit, as the move made it difficult for Mahindra striker Yusuf Yakabu to get free space and pose a threat to the post.