Mahindra goalkeeper Sandip Nandy gathers the ball before Mohun Bagan?s Eduardo Coelho or Jerry Zirsanga can do any damage at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday even as defender Debabrata Roy looks on anxiously. Picture by Amit Dutta

Calcutta: Sandip Nandy returned to haunt Mohun Bagan as the green-maroon brigade failed to get past the Mahindra United goalkeeper in the National Football League second-round match at Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

Sandip, who stopped many a Mohun Bagan attack last season in East Bengal shirts, was outstanding under the bar for the Mumbai outfit as they edged past Mohun Bagan 1-0. Brazilian Flavio Rodrigues scored the winner from a penalty in the 88th minute after he was pulled down inside the box by Eduardo Coelho and Mehtab Hussain.

However, the result could have gone Mohun Bagan?s way had not their strikers wasted at least three gilt-edged opportunities. Ashim Biswas and Jerry Zirsanga were the main culprits. The duo started in the first XI, with Brazilian Roberto Mendes Silva ?Beto? in the bench.

The match started on a lively pace, the famed green-maroon midfield making life difficult for the Mumbai outfit. Noel Wilson, Tomba Singh, Dharamjit Singh and Mehtab were all over the place, exposing the opposition chinks with their penetrative runs and intelligent ball play.

Playing eight to 10 passes, they opened the defence and created a lot of free spaces. In the third minute, Mehtab guided a pass to Dharamjit and his through found Jerry in the open. But the TFA-lad blasted the ball over the crosspiece from close.

A minute before that, however, the jeepmen could have taken the lead had Abhishek Yadav been half as good with his feet as he is credited with his head. Flavio got around Eduardo and squared it to Abhishek with an open goal in front. But, he failed to control the ball and the opportunity was wasted.

This was first of the two efforts the Mumbai team managed in the first half. The second being a freekick by Flavio, which Prasanta Dora tipped away in the 31st minute. In between, and even after, it was the home team which held sway.

And holding fort was Sandip. His anticipation was flawless. It was his sense of timing that denied Ashim from scoring the easiest of goals in the 16th minute. Dharamjit, getting the ball on the right, chipped it towards Jerry. The Manipuri was being shadowed by Covan Lawrence. Jerry, seeing Ashim free on the left of the box, directed the header on to his path. Sandip charged out to deny Ashim and Mohun Bagan a goal.

Tomba sustained a knock on his knee and was replaced by Beto in the second session. However, the home team?s pressure continued unabated.

But again Mahindra got an early chance two minutes after the lemon break, as Flavio, who was chosen Man-of-the-Match, took a rightfooter in the 47th that rebounded off the crosspiece.

Bagan got an indirect free-kick inside the box in the 52nd minute. A loose ball reached Dharamjit from the free-kick and his leftfooter hit the crosspiece.

From then on, the wave of attack subsided and the match looked set for a draw till Flavio turned it around.

Mahindra have four points from two outings compared to Mohun Bagan?s one. The green-maroons will next play Sporting Clube de Goa on January 25 at Salt Lake Stadium while Mahindra will face Dempo at the Cooperage a day earlier.

TEAMS

Mahindra United: Sandip Nandy, Surkumar Singh, Covan Lawrence, Arun Malhotra, Debabrata Roy, Vijith Shetty (Steven Dias 53, Jinto Jose 90+1), Khalid Jamil (Hekmat Singh 85), Jatin Bisht, S. Venkatesh, Abhishek Yadav, Flavio Rodrigues.

Mohun Bagan: Prasanta Dora, Mani Tombi Singh, Mehraj-ud-din Wadao, Eduardo Coelho, Rishi Kapur, Tomba Singh (Roberto Mendes Silva ?Beto? 45), Mehtab Hussain, Noel Wilson, Dharamjit Singh, Ashim Biswas (Basudeb Mondal 64), Jerry Zirsanga.

Referee: Benjamin D?Silva.