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Calcutta: An attack-minded George Telegraph comprehensively beat a hapless Mohammedan Sporting on a soggy pitch at the Barasat stadium on Friday. Shabbir Ali’s boys went down 1-3 in the Premier Division match of the Sahara Calcutta Football League, as yet another of Calcutta’s ‘big three’ slipped up against a smaller side.
The match, that was rescheduled after it got rained off on Wednesday, was plagued by rain and slushy underfoot conditions yet again, forcing referee Dhanapati Roy to wait forty-five minutes before starting the match.
But it began with a bang as Mohammedan Sporting found themselves two goals down within the first five minutes. It was evident that George Telegraph coach Raghu Nandy was well prepared for the match and his players played out of their skins to execute the coach’s plans. George Telegraph packed the midfield with five players and Gopal Debnath did a commendable job of marking the dangerous Theodore Sunday.
Under-19 player Beokhokhei and Man-of-the-Match Suva Kumar’s quick goals took everyone by surprise. Beokhokhei scored with a shot from the edge of the penalty box, in the second minute after Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Imran Khan fisted away Suman Dey’s corner.
The jittery Mohammedan Sporting defence was further exposed two minutes later by Suva Kumar, who finished with a rasping volley off his left foot from inside the penalty box after Shabbir Ali’s boys failed to clear the ball. Kumar, the 26-year-old, was the standout performer for George Telegraph, marshalling the midfield and passing perfectly on a pitch that was hardly suitable for good football.
Nandy’s boys refused to sit back — running box to box. The midfielders ably supported captain Dipendu Biswas who played as a lone striker. Biswas, and later Freebone, who replaced his captain, did admirably well in holding the ball upfront. In the 39th minute, Maduako Francis came close to scoring from the best move of the match.
The move started with a one-two between Suva Kumar and Pradip Roy, included a touch from Beokhokhei and a clever back heel from Freebone. Francis’ eventual shot, past two black-and-white defenders, went narrowly over the crosspiece.
Mohammedan Sporting showed signs of making a dramatic comeback, with Mike Okoro scoring with a header off Rajib Ghosh’s corner in the third minute of the second half. But George Telegraph’s attacking intent and fearless running paid off, when they extended the lead in the 63rd minute.
TEAMS
George Telegraph: Swarup Das, Suman Dey, Safar Sardar, Debkumar Sashmal, Biswajit Saha, Suva Kumar, G. Debnath, Pradip Roy (G. Pau, 89), Beokhokhei, Dipendu Biswas (Freebone, 34), Maduako Francis.
Mohammedan Sporting: Imran Khan, Rajib Ghosh, S. Mondal (Vimal Pariyar, 46), Sheikh Azim, Bijoy Das, S. Bose (Vanlal Rova, 60), L. Awma, Roque Barreto, Mir Farooq Hyder (Prem Kumar, 72), Theodore Sunday, Mike Okoro.
Referee: Dhanapati Roy
Man-of-the-Match: Suva Kumar
