NEW DELHI: Kingfisher East Bengal came back into the winning ways against Aizawl FC on the opening day of game week 6. On the following day, Bengaluru FC took on Sporting Clube de Goa at Sree Kanteerava Stadium and Odafa Okolie, the lethal striker, found the net in both halves to register a dazzling victory over the Blues.
DSK Shivajians hosted the first Maha Derby of the season and edged past Mumbai FC, courtesy the only goal from Douhou Pierre. The last scheduled match of the game week, between Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong FC, is postponed to 17th February now because of the current Hero I-League champions' AFC fixtures.
Kingfisher East Bengal started with Bernard Mendy, ex-French National, in the midfield and he was given a hearty welcome by the noisy crowd. With much to the cheer of the fans, Mendy almost drew the first blood within first 10 minutes but his rasping volley missed the net by a whisker. Aizawl FC had to be on their toes throughout the first half to calm the Red & Gold attackers, especially Biaksh Jairu. Biswajit Bhattacharya introduced Cavin Lobo and Joaquim Abranches in the second half, and their inclusion put more vitality in the attacking half. Finally, Bikash Jairu broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute with a powerful header. 2 minutes later, debutant Bernard Mendy doubled their lead from a pin-point cross, unleashed by Bikash Jairu from the left wing.
Aizawl FC tried their best to reduce the margin but Arnab Mondal and Bello Rasaq kept them at bay till the final whistle. With the win, Kingfisher East Bengal leapfrogged arch rivals Mohun Bagan to the second spot, one point shy of the leaders Bengaluru FC. The Kolkata outfit will host Shillong Lajong FC in the next game week.
Bengaluru FC, having won their away fixture against Kingfisher East Bengal, hosted the Flaming Oranje at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in their second home match of Hero I-League 2015-16 when Michael Collins, the newest recruitment by the Blues, was handed his Hero I-League debut. Sporting Clube de Goa hit the right chord when skipper Odafa Okolie hit the roof of the net before 10 minutes.
Sporting Clube de Goa defender Ravanan received the marching order in the 25th minute and Bengaluru FC left no stone unturned to exploit the opportunity. Ashley Westwood introduced more vigour in the attacking half in the form of Beikhokhei Beingaichho and he almost found the equaliser within the first minute of hitting the deck. The home supporters erupted when CK Vineeth cancelled Sporting Clube de Goa’s lead in the 64th minute. But their cheer could not last long as Odafa, the lanky striker, punched again in the second half. Bengaluru FC did all but couldn’t thwart the Flaming Oranje from securing their second away win in Hero I-league 2015-16. With the massive win, Sporting Clube de Goa jumped to 6th in the league table with 7 points. They are poised to host the first ‘Goa Derby’ of the ongoing Hero I-League in two days at Fatorda Stadium.
DSK Shivajians, bolstered by the new recruits, were scheduled to host the first ‘Maha Derby’ of the ongoing Hero I-League yesterday. Mumbai FC came very close to open the goalmouth within first 5 minutes, but Sushil Kumar Singh miscued the opportunity inside the 18-yard box. In the 21st minute, Douhou Pierre collected a long ball from Justin Stephen and didn’t waste the opportunity to hit the right top corner of the net. Eric Brown, Taisuke Matsugae and Arata Izumi kept on feeding Sushil Kumar Singh and Ryuki Kozowa but they couldn’t percolate the sturdy DSK Shivajians defence line till the final whistle. The sole goal from the Cote d’Ivoire midfielder was enough to secure the first win for the Pune outfit in Hero I-League 2015-16.
The league table got reshuffled in the bottom half as DSK Shivajians move to 8th now with 4 points, Aizawl FC have amassed same points but they are up in the 7th spot, thanks to their superior head-to-head record. Bengaluru FC hold the pinnacle spot for the third consecutive game week with 12 points. Kingfisher East Bengal leapfrogged their arch rivals Mohun Bagan to secure the second spot with 11 points and the reigning champions are third on the table with 10 points, having played 2 matches fewer. Salgaocar FC are still at the rock bottom of the league table with one point, earned from their last home match against debutants Aizawl FC in the preceding game week.
