HomeFootballLuca's master's last night, Joy Diamond
Diamond Harbor 2( Ruatkima, Luca) Mohammedan 1( Edison)
Sanchita Chatterjee BS News Agency: Luka Majshen's master's last night. It seemed that Mohammedan, without foreigners, would not be able to stand against the relatively strong Diamond Harbor in the first match of the Durand Cup on Monday at Yuva Bharati. But the white and black brigade showed that the difference can be overcome by fighting. Mohammedan almost reached the point of snatching a valuable 1 point with the strength of indomitable persistence, keeping the match 1-1 until the 98th minute. It would not be wrong to call it a moral victory if Mohammedan, who are plagued by domestic and international bans, drew against I-League Two champions Kibu Vicuna Diamond, but as the saying goes, the final word on the result cannot be said until the final whistle blows. That is what happened. Diamonds won 2-1 against Mohammedan with a goal from Luca Majsen in the 99th minute, raising the possibility of Diamonds reaching the knockout stages of the Harbour Durand Cup.
Mohammedan coach Mehrajuddin Wadu did not walk the path of any surprises. He tried to stop Diamonds by arranging the team in a risk-free 4-3-3 formation. Even if it did not result in a victory, he would have earned praise if he could have drawn a respectable draw. Thakchom Edison Singh played eye-catching football. In the 37th minute, Ashley Coley took the ball from the right wing and reached the front of the box, taking a powerful shot that went past Diamond's Melroy's extended leg and into the net, hitting goalkeeper Mirshad's hand. If Edison had been able to touch his foot in the middle of the minus box in the last minute of the first half, he would have scored a second goal. Diamond would have been under more pressure.
However, as the saying goes, coaches are cannons at their own expense during the break. Kibu Vicuna proved that again. Kibu, who started the game in a 3-4-3 formation, changed his strategy to a 4-3-3 formation. Only then did he notice the lack of fitness of the team's foreigner Clayton. Realizing that, he brought in Luka Mazchen in Clayton's place from the beginning of the second half. That was the victory. In the 51st minute, Samuel, who came on as a substitute for Narahari Shrestha, headed home a corner kick from Sairuwatkima to equalize for Diamond.
Even then, Mohammedan did not give up the fight. In the 83rd minute, if Mohammedan's Sajal Bagh shot had not hit the post, it would not have been surprising if the match had turned out differently. But the rules were wrong. Despite fighting hard all the time, Mohammedan lost due to a last-minute mistake. The referee gave 8 minutes of added time in the second half. Diamond took full advantage of that opportunity. When Samuel's through ball went to Luka in the middle of the box, he took the shot. That's what bad luck says. When the shot bounced off Mohammedan goalkeeper Shubhajit Bhattacharya, who played well throughout the match, it bounced off the feet of white and black defender Dinesh Mitei and went back to Luka. Luka made no mistake in pushing the ball into an empty goal for Diamond.
Diamond Harbour: Mirshad, Naresh, Melroy, Ruatkima, Angusana, Paul, Ajitkumar, Girik, Narhari(Samuel), Clanton(Luca), Jobi(Holly).
Mohammedan: Shubhajit, Dinesh, Singhson, Lalmunpuiya, Sajjad, Sajal, Yash(Maxion), Raghui, Ashley, Edison, Lalthankima(Shaka).