Salgaocar castle a stumbling Bagan

After IM Vijayan shot the defending champions from Calcutta ahead (23rd min), Salgaocar responded immediately through mid-fielder Shanmugham Venkatesh, a mere two minutes later, Jules Alberto in the 28th minute before Coutinho delivered the knock-out blow in the 54th.

A wasted penalty two minutes from time might have taken some gloss from Coutinho’s masterly display but it did nothing to cheer a distraught Bagan coach, Olympian PK Banerjee who flayed his team for a total collapse.

Bagan, missing three key players — stoppers Sammy Omollo andmidfielder Satyajit Chatterjee to suspension and Nigerian Chima Okerie to injury, showed little resolve. There was little determination in their character of play today that presents Calcutta soccer’s imposing stature. And poignantly enough, alongwith city rivals East Bengal, Calcutta’s challenge for the title now lies mutilated and muted as the league now travels to that very metropolis itself.

While Banerjee lamented his team’s worst show in the league, his opposite number Shabbir Ali celebrated his side’s best. The Salgaocar coach applauded his team but he was particularly happy with the display of young striker Alvito D’Cunha who he said took on a terrific workload.

With the Coutinho-Alvito combine looking deadlier by the day, the Goa league champions grabbed the match by the scruff as the early moments brought chance after chance. But to the dismay of the home crowd, a horrendous blunder by the usually adept ‘keeper Juje Siddi surrendered the lead.

Siddi let the ball slip to Bagan star strikerVijayan, who scored with a piece of sublime skill a left-footed chip that fell nicely into goal. But the 25,000 turnout roared back to life within minutes when Venkatesh accosted D’Cunha’s pass to leave young goalkeeper Dinesh Nair standing with a left-footer from 25-yard shot.

Another tricky throw-in from the former Coutinho and the noise reached a cresendo as Jues Alberto rose up to nod into the goal past a helpless Dinesh.Salgaocar’s domination continued after change of ends, although a small spark entered Mohun Bagan’s play with the entry of Iraqi mid-field Yonan Basim in the role of wing-back for Riazul Mustafa.

But the Goan side could do little wrong tonight. Slick passing, delighful skills and determined running — best exemplified by wing-back Augustine Rodrigues, on the starting line-up tonight.

JCT held: Jagatjit Cotton Textiles (Phagwara) struck back on the dot of half-time to hold FC Kochin in an earlier match. The result brought the young Kochin side their first point in the SuperSix series but on hindsight three points were well theirs for the taking.

After taking the JCT citadel by storm, striker Najeeb shot the Kerala side ahead in the third minute. The millmen, levelled through Surjit Singh.