Jose Ramirez Barreto of Mohun Bagan and HAL goalkeeper P Pramod in an aerial tussle during an I-League match, on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: Mohun Bagan’s tryst with dreadful goalkeeping errors continued on Wednesday. Shilton Paul’s bizarre mistake had robbed defending champions Bagan of the CFL title little over a week ago. Today, Sangram Mukherjee’s lazy clearance eventually proved calamitous for the city club in their I-League match against HAL on a rain-soaked afternoon at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Bagan entered Wednesday’s tie without star striker Edeh Chidi. The Nigerian, nursing a hamstring niggle, keenly watched the match and twitched at every missed opportunity as if he was virtually playing the game.

Stanley Rozario’s men began with gusto and despite controlling the ball for most part of the match succumbed to some electric counterattacks. HAL proved their win against JCT was no fluke. After winger Vijesh Kumar’s chanced strike, the visitors reaffirmed their status as giant-slayers with J. Murali’s winner in team’s 2-1 victory over the green and maroon brigade.

Bagan went on the offensive from the beginning and when Jayanta Sen’s shot whistled over the cross piece by a few millimetres, it seemed HAL was in for some early trouble. Jose Barreto, who played as a striker in Chidi’s absence, looked penetrative and lurked ominously at the rival defence. But the momentum tilted in the visitor’s favour when Kumar struck for HAL in the 22 nd minute.

Sangram miskicked Snehasish Chakraborty’s back pass into Kumar’s foot in a fit of carelessness. The winger, who keenly waited yards outside the box, scored with a curling left-footer. Sangram was slow to react as he didn’t anticipate the shot, and, by the time he dived full stretch, the ball had found the net.

Barreto proved his class with the equaliser just 10 minutes later. Murithala Ali’s cheeky pass inside the box took a deflection off HAL defender Liliyan Kennath. Barreto, who was running in through the left channel, wrestled past two rival defenders to thump it in.

The combination of Barreto and Murithala created a lot of opportunities but HAL defender Joseph Femi Adeola’s interception in crucial moments thwarted the moves. Barreto gave it all in search of the lead and in the 73 rd minute curled one in from the left flank that ricocheted of the side post.

Sangram, after his blunder in the first-half, pulled off some brilliant saves, including a block off a Xavier Vijay Kumar blinder minutes after the lemon break. But Murali’s strike in the 81 st minute sealed Bagan’s fate. Vijay’s cross from the left found RC Prakash’s head and even though Sangram dived full-length to block it he couldn’t quite collect it allowing Murali to hammer in the winner.

Teams

HAL: P. Pramod, R Srikanth, Liliyan Kennath (Jai Kumar, 35’), Rohit Chand, Joseph Femi Adeola, J Murali, S. James Singh (R.C Prakash, 60’), Vijesh Kumar (Gautam Debnath, 90’), Hamza Amaba, Xavier Vijay Kumar, Malengamba Meitei.

Mohun Bagan: Sangram Mukherjee, Rahul Kumar, Harpreet Singh, Dhanarajan, Karan Atwal, Jayanta Sen (Souvik Chakraborty, 74’), Manish Maithani, Snehasish Chakraborty, Ashim Biswas, Jose Barreto, Murithala Ali.

Referee: Magho Singh

MoM: J. Murali