CFL 2021 -- Mohammedan Sporting, BSS SC make a winning start

MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING CLUB MADE A dominant start to their season with a 3-0 win over Southern Samity in their first round Calcutta Football League fixture.

The Black Panthers' long awaited return to action happened at Kalyani Stadium, where although tickets were not on sale a sizeable crowd gathered around the fences to see the popular club.

MSC started the game with an early period of pressure that Southern Samity were not able to withstand for much time. Uttam Rai got a yellow card just 7 minutes in after committing multiple fouls. Just 16 minutes into the match, Sk Faiaz ran up the left and found Nikola with a cross. The latter slotted it into the net, giving Mohammedan Sporting an early lead.

Although Southern Samity were creating chances here and there, their advances were not remotely as threatening as the ones by Mohammedan Sporting. And the repeated attempt paid off when Sk Faiaz cut in from the left, fooled the defenders and found the target. MSC went into half-time with a 2-0 lead.

The second half was more of the same, with MSC not finding it difficult to maintain their lead. They even managed to expand it towards the end of the game when Azharuddin Mullick got hold of a beautiful pass from Nikola and scored.

The best chance for Southern Samity came in the added time when they got a penalty. But Mohammedan goalkeeper Zothanmawia guessed the direction of Elminhao Kilong's spot kick and saved it, ensuring his team would keep a clean sheet. The match ended with Mohammedan Sporting Club registering a 3-0 win and climbing to the top of the Group A points table.

In a simultaneous match in the same group, Behala Sanskritik Sammilani Sporting Club (BSS SC) also made a winning start to their campaign with a 3-1 victory against Railway FC. For BSS, the scorers were Rahul Kumar Paswan, Leonce Dodoz and Tirthankar Sarkar. For Railway, solitary goal was scored by Sagar.

Both Mohammedan Sporting and BSS SC are on 3 points, with MSC getting the top spot thanks to a superior goal difference.

In Group B, meanwhile, Aryan Club and Tollygunge Agragami played out a goalless draw in Howrah. This put both clubs on the second and third places in the points table respectively. At the top of the Group B are defending champions Peerless SC who beat Kidderpore SC in the opening game of the season.

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