Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Sayon, Rabilal, Kian, Suhel were repeatedly trapped by the thunderbolts of Khidirpur's defense. In the end, both teams left the field with 1 point. Mohun Bagan 1 (Sandeep)
Khidirpur 1 (Tuhin) Mohun Bagan started the Kolkata League by defeating Pathachak 4-0. Khidirpur Sporting threw a tough challenge in front of them on Thursday. Mehtab Hossain's team drew with Bhavanipur in the previous match. And on Thursday afternoon, they stopped the Sabuj-Maroon Brigade. Despite advancing, Mohun Bagan could not bring back three points in the end. The result of the game was 1-1. Sayon Banerjee gave a great gift of football in the first match. He played a major role in the victory against Pathachak. In addition to one goal, he also made two assists. Kian Nasiri and Suhel Bhatra also scored goals. However, that momentum disappeared in this match. It started with a battle of attack and counter-attack. Mohun Bagan got the first corner in the fourth minute. The corner taken by Raj Basfour was not fruitful. Khidirpur counter-attacked soon after. There was no danger as the Bagan defense was alert. Khidirpur attacked three times in the first 10 minutes and kept the green-maroon defense under pressure. At this time, Mohun Bagan also lost control of the midfield to some extent. In the 18th minute, Khidirpur goalkeeper Ardhendu Dutta skillfully blocked Kian Nasiri's free kick with a fist. After that, the boys of the real world gradually returned to the match. In the 27th minute, Kian ran into the box from the left. As two defenders came forward to stop him, he passed the ball into the empty space. Using the opportunity, Sandeep Malik put the team ahead with a beautiful finish. Five minutes later, Ardhendu also made a great save from Sayan Banerjee's powerful shot. Mohun Bagan was leading 1-0 in the first half. In the 46th minute after the break, Suhel Bhat wasted an easy chance from Sayan's cross. A minute later, Khidirpur struck back. Tuhin Sikdar's goal brought the score back to 1-1. Mohun Bagan could not find the winning goal despite having several chances. In the 49th minute, Sandeep Malik's floated cross went over the bar. In the 53rd minute, Suhel wasted unnecessary time by not passing to Kian from Sayan's through ball. As a result, the opportunity was missed. In the 58th minute, Kian's floated ball created a goal opportunity, but Khidirpur's Vikramjit Singh threw his body and headed it away in exchange for a corner. Suhel missed another good chance in the 70th minute. Khidirpur got a free kick in a dangerous place in the 76th minute. In the 83rd minute, Sayon's bicycle kick missed the target. In the 85th minute, Mohun Bagan got a free kick just outside the box, but it didn't work. In the 92nd minute, Rabilal Mandi's long-range shot missed the target. Sayon, Rabilal, Kian, Suhel were repeatedly caught in the thunder of Khidirpur's defense. In the end, both teams left the field with 1 point.