HAL rally to hold Mohun Bagan........
BANGALORE: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) rallied superbly to maintain their unbeaten record against Mohun Bagan in this season's I-League, holding the Kolkata side to a 1-1 draw in the 15th round at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Sunday.
On a turf, that is now a talking point with the visiting clubs due to its pathetic condition, both the teams played well in patches with the hosts coming up with a vastly improved performance in the second half to deny their fancied opponents.
Though the second session saw more action at the goalmouth, it didn't result in any goals. Both the goals came in the first session and both resulted from booming long rangers. Bagan took the lead in the 31st minute when Surkumar Singh made full use of his hassle-free movement in the rival half. From about 25-30 yards, the India international got a clear view of the goal and unleashed a power-packed volley that crashed into the right corner of the goal guarded by P Pramod.
HAL were taken aback by the snap goal but regrouped fast. Striker RC Prakash was back in his elements and troubled the Bagan defenders with his nippy runs around the box. It was the former Bagan striker who set up his side's equaliser as the hosts restored parity in just nine minutes. After latching on to pass on the right flank, Prakash found his skipper waiting for the kill. The set up was perfect and J Murali sizzled with his execution as the ball thundered into the Bagan net giving no chance to custodian Sangram Mukherjee.
Till then, Murali looked out of touch, unable to stitch moves and failing to trap cleanly. But with one masterstroke, he ensured the rest were forgotten. It was Murali's second goal against Bagan this season. He had scored in Kolkata to lift his side to a famous win. The goal, only HAL's 9th in 15 matches, ensured that he got to play the full match and in the end, walked away with the man-of-the-match award.
Much to his fans' delight, former HAL player Satish Kumar Junior came on in the second half in the famous green and maroon and instantly created an impact. The Bangalore boy almost took the match away from HAL in injury time but missed inexplicably from close range.
The draw took HAL's tally to 16 points and helped them stay clear of the relegation zone. Coach-cum-manager Muralidharan was happy with the improved performance. "I would say that this was our best performance at home this season. After a long time we played well as a team. We want to continue like this," he said.
Bagan coach Subash Bhowmick was happy that both the teams dished out good football on such an uneven turf. "The whole ground is uneven and it is on such turfs that players can pick serious knee injuries. I don't how I-League matches are being played on this turf," he said.
Giving credit to HAL for their impressive show, the famous coach blamed his strikers for missing gilt-edged chances. "I wanted to win all three points today but we missed at least five sitters," he said.
Results:
At Bangalore: HAL: 1 (J Murali 40) drew with Mohun Bagan: 1 (Surkumar Singh 31).
At Kolkata: Chirag United: 1 (Elijah Junior 4) lost to Salgaocar: 4 (Yakubu 20, Fernandes 65, Ikenwa 72, 88).
At Kannur: Viva Kerala: 7 (Anil Kumar 8, 49, 83, Felix 32, Karma 79, 90, Pradeep 92) bt Air India: 1 (Praise 71).
On a turf, that is now a talking point with the visiting clubs due to its pathetic condition, both the teams played well in patches with the hosts coming up with a vastly improved performance in the second half to deny their fancied opponents.
Though the second session saw more action at the goalmouth, it didn't result in any goals. Both the goals came in the first session and both resulted from booming long rangers. Bagan took the lead in the 31st minute when Surkumar Singh made full use of his hassle-free movement in the rival half. From about 25-30 yards, the India international got a clear view of the goal and unleashed a power-packed volley that crashed into the right corner of the goal guarded by P Pramod.
HAL were taken aback by the snap goal but regrouped fast. Striker RC Prakash was back in his elements and troubled the Bagan defenders with his nippy runs around the box. It was the former Bagan striker who set up his side's equaliser as the hosts restored parity in just nine minutes. After latching on to pass on the right flank, Prakash found his skipper waiting for the kill. The set up was perfect and J Murali sizzled with his execution as the ball thundered into the Bagan net giving no chance to custodian Sangram Mukherjee.
Till then, Murali looked out of touch, unable to stitch moves and failing to trap cleanly. But with one masterstroke, he ensured the rest were forgotten. It was Murali's second goal against Bagan this season. He had scored in Kolkata to lift his side to a famous win. The goal, only HAL's 9th in 15 matches, ensured that he got to play the full match and in the end, walked away with the man-of-the-match award.
Much to his fans' delight, former HAL player Satish Kumar Junior came on in the second half in the famous green and maroon and instantly created an impact. The Bangalore boy almost took the match away from HAL in injury time but missed inexplicably from close range.
The draw took HAL's tally to 16 points and helped them stay clear of the relegation zone. Coach-cum-manager Muralidharan was happy with the improved performance. "I would say that this was our best performance at home this season. After a long time we played well as a team. We want to continue like this," he said.
Bagan coach Subash Bhowmick was happy that both the teams dished out good football on such an uneven turf. "The whole ground is uneven and it is on such turfs that players can pick serious knee injuries. I don't how I-League matches are being played on this turf," he said.
Giving credit to HAL for their impressive show, the famous coach blamed his strikers for missing gilt-edged chances. "I wanted to win all three points today but we missed at least five sitters," he said.
Results:
At Bangalore: HAL: 1 (J Murali 40) drew with Mohun Bagan: 1 (Surkumar Singh 31).
At Kolkata: Chirag United: 1 (Elijah Junior 4) lost to Salgaocar: 4 (Yakubu 20, Fernandes 65, Ikenwa 72, 88).
At Kannur: Viva Kerala: 7 (Anil Kumar 8, 49, 83, Felix 32, Karma 79, 90, Pradeep 92) bt Air India: 1 (Praise 71).
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