P. C. Lalwampuiya after scoring the winner at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. Picture by Guatam Bose

Calcutta: P.C. Lalwampuiya scored in the 13th minute as Mohun Bagan cashed in on home advantage to defeat Churchill Brothers 1-0 in a thrilling seventh round match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening.

The green and maroon brigade thus registered their second victory on the trot, cutting short Churchill Brothers’ dream run in the league. The Goans met with their first defeat of the I-League and slipped a place to third with 12 points from seven matches.

After Sunday’s win Bagan climbed to the seventh spot with nine points from seven encounters.

The city giants on the day appeared to be a different side altogether. They started from where they left off in their sixth round match against Dempo last week.

They never seemed lacking the spirit without experienced campaigner Brazilian Jose Ramirez Barreto. With Bhaichung Bhutia and Lalawmpuiya leading the attack, Bagan were all charged up pushing the visitors to the wall right from the word go.

After some initial hiccups and a couple of spoiled opportunities, Bagan scored in the 13th minute of the match, thanks to a defensive lapse by Zoran Djordevic’s boys.

Man of the Match Marcos Pereira rushed in to beat two defenders before crossing it for an unmarked Lalawmpuiya on the right edge of the top box. Picking it up, Lalawmpuiya dodged past a Churchill defender and fired a shot that struck a post on its way inside.

Down by a goal, the Goans, literally went all out and five minutes later got, what could be termed as the ‘golden chance’ of the match, to restore parity. With Mohun Bagan defender Habibur Rehaman Mondal making a mess of the situation, Odafe played the ball to Khemtang Paite on the left, whose shot demanded quick intervention from N.S. Manju.

In the second-half Churchill did everything they could but they lacked their usual finishing touch. Credit also goes to a compact Mohun Bagan defence, aptly manned by N.S. Manju, Habibur Rehman Mondal, Deepak Mondal and Peter Odafe. Coach Karim Benarifa should also thank Sangram Mukherjee for his brilliance under the bars. He not only thwarted some good moves of the Goans but also executed some sharp saves that helped his team take full points.

TEAMS

Mohun Bagan: Sangram Mukherjee, N.S. Manju, Deepak Mondal, Habibur Rehman Mondal, James Singh, Peter Odafe, Rakesh Masih, Marcos Pereira, Isfaq Ahmed (S. Malswamtulunga 90), P.C. Lalawmpuia (Kartick Kisku, 85), Bhaichung Bhutia (Lalkamal Bhowmick, 90)

Churchill Brothers: Arindam Bhattacharya, Thokchum Naoba Singh, Warundeep Singh, Gourmangi Moirangthem, Robert Laltmlamuana, Chandam Singh, Ogba Kalu Nnanna, Reishngmi Vashum (Balan Bimeesh, 54), Khemtang Paite (Rodrigues Nicholas, 64), Okolie Odafe, Felix Chimhokwu,

Referee: Pradeep Kumar

MoM: Marcos Pereira