Calcutta: Karim Bencharifa waved for one final time at the handful of McDowell Mohun Bagan supporters while leaving the Salt Lake Stadium, on Sunday.

There couldn’t have been a better farewell for him as Bagan produced one of their best performances in the season to prevail 2-1 over a spirited Lajong FC.

The Pankaj Moulas and Katsumi Yusas not just helped the green-and-maroon brigade end their I-League campaign and the season on a good note, but they also brought about smiles in Karim’s face in his very last appearance as Bagan coach.

The turbulent 18 months he spent as Bagan coach, Karim always tried to sport a smile despite the circumstances he and his players had to go through. On Sunday, though, his smiles were of a relieved man.

Throughout the season, Karim had maintained that the current youngsters in the Bagan squad are a talented lot and can go on to be an asset for any club in the future. These young players once again vindicated his views. Precisely, Bagan could have pumped in at least a half-a-dozen, having their rivals’ defence in complete disarray, if not for those sitters that were squandered.

It took Bagan just six minutes to go into the ascendancy. Katsumi got into a tangle with Jibon Singh, but made sure the ball was in play. Ujjal Howladar then set Pankaj up with a cross and the latter did the needful with a wonderful placement.

Lajong, too, had their moments and equalised in the 61st minute when Boithang Haokip’s first strike in the game resulted in a goal. A little while later, Christopher Chizoba, after a string of misses, got Bagan the winner with a superb solo effort. Well and truly, it was a well-deserved victory for Bagan.

More importantly, Okolie Odafa’s absence wasn’t even felt for once during the course of the match. For the moment, it seems club officials have taken the right decision in releasing the Nigerian. But they need to pay attention to what the outgoing coach says.

“This is a team for the future. If majority of these players are retained, the team will do excellently.”

And about himself, Karim said: “I never look backwards… I prefer to move on…”

TEAMS

Mohun Bagan: Shilton Paul; Pritam Kotal, Kinshuk Debnath, Aiborlang Khongjee, Shouvik Ghosh; Ujjal Howladar (Manish Bhargav, 64), Denson Devadas, Katsumi Yusa (Bikramjit Singh, 66), Pankaj Moula; Christopher Chizoba (Sankar Oraon, 87), Sabeeth Sathyan

Lajong FC: Lalthuammawia Ralte; Lallawmzuala, Minchol Son, Jibon Singh, Lalchhuanmawa Fanai; Niwano Gatpoh (Boithang Haokip, 60), Taisuke Matsugae (Durga Boro, 80), Lalramluaha Hmar, Seikhohao Tuboi (Milan Singh, 46); Subash Singh, Cornell Glen

Referee: Pratap Singh

MoM: Pankaj Moula