Play-by-Play: Mohun Bagan brush past Aizawl by 3-2 after the visitors put up a valiant fight

IN AN INTENSE CONTEST that went down to the wire, Mohun Bagan came out on top 3-2 thanks to a late penalty as Aizawl FC put up a fight to remember against them.

Bagan lacking a few of their first team players including Sony Norde and Aizawl without their chief playmaker Mahmoud Al Amnah went in for a top of the table contest at Rabindra Sarobar tonight and early on things went the home side's way. Shortly after the game began, Katsumi, playing on the left in this game, ran up the flank and sent in a cross that Duffy met with a flying header, sending the ball straight into the net, sending Mohun Bagan 1-0 up.

But Aizawl FC did not back down and kept coming back with attacks of their own. A good ball provided Alfred with an opportunity for a close range tap in but he missed. An even better chance went to Prabir Das of Mohun Bagan who got hold of the ball at the goalmouth with the Aizawl keeper Albino Gomes down on the ground but ended up shooting wide. 

But Aizawl persisted with their attacks and their efforts finally bore fruit on the 41st minute when Alfred Jaryan found Jayesh Rane inside the box and the latter slammed it past Debjit Majumder. The visitors were level just before half-time and the teams went into the break tied 1-1.

The game began with a similar back and forth exchange between the two teams but Aizawl were incresingly asserting their grip on the game, dominating the midfield and most of the time simply out-running their opponent players.

But just after the hour mark, another wing play turned things around for Mohun Bagan. Prabir Das made up for his first half miss by running straight up the right and sending in a peach of a cross to Jeje inside the box who sent it straight in. Mohun Bagan were back in the lead, 2-1.

But the lead was short lived. A similar goal came from the Peoples' Club. Earlier scorer Jayesh Rane ran up the flank, sent it in for Ashutosh to make a superb finish, bringing them level with the Mariners. 2-2.

A nervy game carried on full of fouls and altercations. It seemed as though Aizawl FC were about to hold Mohun Bagan as the clock ticked past 80 minutes. But then Katsumi Yusa made a hard run into the Aizawl box and he was fouled. The referee awrded the penalty, which Duffy converted despite Aizawl keeper Albino Gomes guessing the correct side. Duffy took his goal tally to 6 becoming the leading scorer in the league and Mohun Bagan went 3-2 up. They proceeded to hold onto the lead for the remaining minutes.

Mohun Bagan will consider themselves lucky to have won this match as Aizawl FC proved to be a worthy match for them. Though happy with the 3 points, Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen will be worried over the consider under-performance in his midfield. The performance they put on was less than convincing, and alarming considering the season's first Derby is just a week away. Aizawl FC, though, will feel emboldened by the fight they put on tonight despite the loss. Third on the table with 13 points from 7 matches, they have proven they are not an act.

Bagan now have 16 points from 6 games, same as their arch rivals East Bengal, trailing them only by goal difference. This match sets up next Sunday's Derby as some sort of an early tie breaker; whoever wins will establish themselves as the undisputed front-runners in the I-League title race.

You can re-visit this exciting match through our real time commentary that narrates the game in detail...