Calcutta: The temptation would be to call it an upset.

But to be fair to Army XI, their 1-0 victory over Mohun Bagan in a CFL Premier Division match at the Barasat Stadium, on Tuesday, was a well-deserved and well-earned result.

That Army XI are loaded with possibilities was pretty evident in their match against East Bengal. They led 2-0 in the first half, but lost way thereafter because of a spirited East Bengal fightback, led by the headline-making Do Dong Hyun.

But on Tuesday, neither did Bagan have the grit of their arch-rivals, nor was there a Dong who could transform individual brilliance into goals. So despite the fans' heartbreak, the result, to be honest, didn't come as a knock-out punch from a blind corner.

Also, the winner from Jain P was not one of those usual patchy tap-ins from a goalmouth melee, the ones we generally see in local football. The goal came from a fabulous left-footer from the Army XI striker from the edge of the box, which beat Bagan 'keeper Shilton Paul to his right.

Ironically, Army XI were actually on the wrong foot even before the match began. They didn't turn up in the right jersey colours and so Match Commissioner Udayan Halder didn't allow the game to begin.

The match finally began 20 minutes after its scheduled start, after Bagan agreed to use their second jerseys following a request from the opposition. But that was the only time when Sanjoy Sen's side had an upper hand on their opponents on the day.

Bagan could have been down by two goals within the first 15 minutes itself had Army XI's Arjun Tudu been a bit sharper. The nippy forward did all the hard work twice to move into excellent positions, but failed to shoot it past Shilton.

Bagan's back four were clumsy to say the least. Central defenders Sanjay Balmuchu and Pratik Chaudhuri were like cats on a hot tin roof. Every time they had to deal with an Army XI attack, Bagan's defence almost suffered an earthquake and the thousand-odd fans present at the ground almost had heart-attacks.

It didn't help the green and maroon brigade when Ujjal Howladar had to be substituted in the 12th minute after he injured his leg.

The closest Bagan came to scoring a goal in the first half-hour was when Dudu Omagbemi failed to connect a Manish Bhargav minus with a clear sight of the goal. The last 10 minutes of the first-half, though, belonged to Bagan.

Dudu had a headed goal disallowed for being on the offside, then K. Asif's powerful grounder was parried by the Army XI 'keeper. In the 44th minute, Dudu's header off a corner hit the crosspiece.

The best of the lot came in the very next minute when Dudu failed to put the ball in with only the 'keeper at his mercy. It was such an ugly miss that the Nigerian immediately gestured an apology to the fans.

The rain-washed second half was supposed to portray a better Bagan. Or so, the fans thought... But they were stunned to silence in the 51st minute when Jain unleashed the scorcher.

Shell-shocked, Bagan threw everything they had at the Army team. Such was the desperation that coach Sen brought on the untested Brazilian defender Gustavo to partner Dudu upfront.

It was a gamble, as Sen admitted later, but then the well-organised Army XI were in no mood to fall prey to such a move.

Bagan's appeal for a penalty (handball) in the 65th minute was ignored by referee Pranjal Banerjee.

The victory took Army XI up to the second spot in the league table with 12 points, while Bagan are fifth with eight. East Bengal sit at the top with 13 points.

Indian football, in the last two decades, has surrendered its Indian-ness to over-dependence on foreign recruits. And that is why the 11 Indian players in the Army XI truly deserve much more than the three points they earned on Tuesday.

TEAMS

Army XI: Sarat Narayan; Vibin TV, S. Arunjith Meitei, Suresh Meitei, Anthony Chetri; Dipen Thapa (Dileep M, 83rd), Shadip Rai, Kalesh MV, TC Lalhuapzua (Lallian Mawia, 64th); Jain P (N. Rakesh Singh, 90th), Arjun Tudu

Mohun Bagan: Shilton Paul; Sukhen Dey, Sanjay Balmuchu, Pratik Chaudhuri, Suman Hazra; Katsumi Yusa (Gustavo Silva, 75th), K. Asif, Pankaj Moula, Ujjal Howladar (Manish Bhargav, 12th/ Kean Lewis, 59th); Azharuddin Mallick, Dudu Omagbemi

Referee: Pranjal Banerjee

MoM: Jain P