Gangtok: Eight time champions Mohun Bagan cruised to the semi-final of the Sikkim Gold Cup after defeating Tibetian NSA by a solitary goal at the Paljor stadium in Gangtok on Wednesday. Bagan however kept it late and it was only in the 92nd minute goal from Ansumana Kromah that sealed the win.
The mariners as expected were dominant throughout the match, but lacked the killer instinct in the final third. New recruit Dipanada Dicka who was playing his first match for the Green and Maroons could have given them the lead in just the 10th minute but faltered instead firing his shot over the bar. Another chance went wasted when Dicka hit the woodwork in the 28th minute. Dicka and Kromah although playing their first match together combined well and looked threatening every time they were on the ball. They surely did create numerous chances for each other but were wasteful upfront.
Bagan’s best chance in the first half however came in the 35th minute when Kromah with a empty net at his mercy could not score after a Dipanada Dicka shot had been saved. Three minutes later he had another chance but shot the set-piece straight into keeper’s hand, as the first half ended goalless much to relief of Tibetan NSA.
Liberian Kromah who was a star for Bagan in the CFL however looked a different player in the second half, constantly threatening NSA and keeping goalkeeper Tenzin Samdhup busy, which ended with the goal in the final minutes of injury time.
The maroons will now take on ONGC in the semi-final on Friday. Earlier ONGC defeated Sikkim Himalayan FC in the penalty shootout after the match had ended on 1-1 in the regulation time.
Meanwhile, city based club Calcutta Customs also qualified for the semi-finals after beating Manang Marsangdi with a score of 1-0 in the quarter finals.
Former Bagan star trains with East Bengal
Aniyeche Echezona who was last seen playing for Mohun Bagan in the I-League was noticed in the Howrah municipal ground today appearing in a trial for arch-rivals East Bengal. The move although not yet confirmed comes afterbEat Bengal overseas defender Carlyle Mitchell suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the next eight weeks.
With the loss of such a important player, the red and gold brigade officials had not other choice but call upon Eche for the trails. The defender was seen training in the presence of head coach Khalid Jamil ans it remains to be seen if Eche becomes the second player after Japanese Yusa Katsumi to play for East Bengal this season.