I-League 2019-20: Mohun Bagan Condemned to Defeat at Home by Clinical Churchill Brothers

Kalyani: Mohun Bagan fell to a 4-2 loss at the hands of Churchill Brother FC Goa on Sunday at the Kalyani Stadium and are now without a win after two games into their I-League 2019-20 season.

Willis Plaza (2', 38') and Robert Primus (29') did the damage in the first-half before Radanfah Abu Bakr (76') put the match to bed. For the Mariners, Fran Gonzalez (34') converted from the penalty spot and Subha Ghosh (90') blasted the back of the net from close in the dying minutes but they couldn't stop the inevitable.

With this loss, Mohun Bagan now sit seventh in the points table with just a point from two games. Churchill Brothers rise to the top of the table with two wins in two matches.

Mohun Bagan started with one change with Ashutosh Mehta starting for the first time this season. Churchill Brothers FC Goa fielded an unchanged eleven that defeated Punjab FC in their season opener.

The hosts were baffled with the early strike and looked helpless trying to defend a series of attacks from Churchill Brothers thereafter.

However, Mohun Bagan slowly organised themselves increasing the pace of their game but lack of creativity in the final third eluded them from scoring. The Spanish duo of Colinas and Beitia, with due support from Naorem and Britto, did create trouble for the Churchill defenders but their efforts to score were foiled by the Churchill defenders.

Against the run of the play, the Red Machines doubled their lead in the 29th minute when a perfect corner from Ceesay saw Robert Junior Primus finding the back of the net from a well-directed header.

The Mariners' efforts soon earned them a result though when an individual effort from Naorem inside the Churchill Box helped the hosts earn a penalty in the 33rd minute. Thereafter, Spaniard Javier Gonzalez slotted the ball in calmly to get the home team back in the game.

Churchill, though, were in no mood to let go of their advantage and increased their lead to 3-1 in the 38th minute through a Willis Plaza shot from outside of the box, which caught Mariners goalkeeper Debjit napping. Debjit fumbled trying to collect the ball and allowed it to roll into his net.

The first half came to an end with the scoreline reading 3-1 to the favour of Churchill Brothers FC Goa.

Mohun Bagan started the second half on an attacking note and rightfully, earned a few open chances as well, but lack of a poacher-like figure inside the box meant the hosts found it tough to reduce the deficit.

Churchill Brothers then turned the screw once again when Israil Gurung, who had come off the bench, floated a long ball from the right flank and Abu Bakr leapt over his marker to score his first goal this Hero I-League season and increase the visitors' lead to 4-1 in the 76th minute.

As Mohun Bagan kept attempting to find the back of the net, super-sub Shubha Ghosh gave them another consolation in the dying moments of the game.

The young striker, who replaced Naorem, converted a pass from Colinas. In the final minutes of the injury time, a stunning strike from Beitia was parried away by Churchill's substitute goalkeeper James Keithan to see out the game.