Calcutta: Two superb goals in each half was all that the full house at the Mohun Bagan ground witnessed on Sunday evening.
It was enough to make their outing memorable though both teams dished out soccer as dull as dishwater for the rest of the session.
Man of the Match Ansumana Kromah and Kamo Stephen Bayi are soon turning out to be the darling of Mohun Bagan fans and if they can keep their goal-scoring instincts intact, Sony Norde is sure to face some stiff competition when the Haitian returns for their I-League expedition.
The 2-0 victory was Mohun Bagan's fourth win on the trot in as many matches but East Bengal maintain their top spot (12 points from 4 matches) in the Premier Division A of the Calcutta Football League by virtue of their better goal difference.
Mohun Bagan attacks revolved around the African duo and had luck favoured him, Kromah could have added two more to his tally. Calcutta Customs were hardly a tough opponent but they had set out with a definite plan from the outset.
Kamo was bottled up inside the striking zone by some zonal marking and that set the Mohun Bagan attack into disarray for the first 20 minutes at least. Customs were out to stop the Ivory Coast forward by any means and that led to pulling and jostling inside the penalty box. It even forced Kamo to change his jersey after one of the defenders' valiant effort resulted in a torn shirt.
But once the wily forward started to operate from deep inside their territory, Customs' resistance fell apart.
But Mohun Bagan had to wait till the 32nd minute for the lead. A 25-yard right-footed volley from Kamo that left the rival goalie stranded.
"It's my best goal in this CFL... I dedicate it to hard work, Kamo said later.
Mohun Bagan though were lucky to hold on to the lead four minutes later when Sourav Dasgupta's dangerously dipping free kick hit the cross piece and dropped just beyond the goalline. It was a narrow escape for Mohun Bagan and Customs' only worthwhile effort in the match.
Mohun Bagan: Shibinraj Kunniyil (Meitei Soram, 85); Ricky Lallanmawma, Bikramjit Singh, Kingsley Dbumneme, Arijit Bagui (Debabrata Roy, 83); Chesterpaul Lyngdoh, Raynier Fernandes, Shilton D'Silva, Azharuddin Mallick (Pintu Mahato, 65); Kamo Stephen Bayi, Ansumana Kromah.
Calcutta Customs: Suvam Sen; Arijeet Singh, Sourav Dasgupta Samuel Kane, Rahul Das, Ujjal Haulader (Amit Roy, 74), Kweku Ampong, Dhiman Sinha, Aninda Majumder (Biplab Bera, 67), Shanu Budhak, Joseph Segun Oalniran.
Referee: Debasish Mandy.
MoM: Ansumana Kromah.
