Category: Football

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CFL: Mohammedan SC starts season with victory over Army XI

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club beat Army XI 1-0 on Friday to kick start their 2016/17 Calcutta Premier Division – A campaign at Mohammedan Sporting Club Ground.

Striker Manvir Singh sturck the lone goal in the 15th minute which earned Mohammedan Sporting’s first ever competitive match victory over Army XI.

Mohammedan SC head coach Mridul Banerjee started with experienced Vinay Singh in goal. Rana Gharami partnered Lancine Toure in central defense with Nitesh Chhikara and Kamran Farooque as the sidebacks. Mumtaz Akhtar and Dipankar made up the midfield while Imran Khan and Sheikh Faiaz operated from the flanks. Leonce Dodoz and Manvir started upfront.

The Black Panthers started off brightly and had the first chance to take the lead as early as the 5th minute but Dodoz headed straight to Army XI goalkepeer Sarath Narayan off an Imran Khan free-kick.

Mohammedan SC, then, six minutes later got another chance but Faiaz failed to keep his effort on target from Dipankar’s cross.

However, Mohammedan SC finally broke the deadlock in the 15th minute when Manvir slotted past Sarath after receving a pass from Chhikara on the right side.

Having scored, Moahmedan SC increased their pressure and had few more close attempts, but Sarath successfully kept Mohammedan SC attackers at bay.

Army XI managed to up their game towards the end but the strike pair of Arjun Tudu and Jain P. both were denied by a well drilled and organized Mohammedan SC defense led by Rana and Toure, as the scoreline read 1-0 for Mohammedan SC at the break.

On resumption of play, Army XI made some desperate efforts to come back into the match, however the Mohammedan SC defense along with their keeper proved a hard nut to crack.

In the 52nd minute, Anthony Chettri beautifully sent a through pass to Mukesh Kumar, however the latter’s right footed effort was kept away by the diving Mohammedan SC keeper Vinay.

At the other end, Dipankar ran down the right flank and sent a low cross inside the Army XI box, however Sarath came with a timely collection before onrushing  Faiaz could do any damage.

Army XI, having created numerous half chances, went extremely close on two occasions midway through the session. First it was substitute Santu Subba whose headed effort off an corner was denied by Vinay in the 65th minute.

Then Vinay followed it up with another save five minutes later, this time to block Tudu who smashed a powerful low drive from outside the box.

Meanwhile, Dodoz should be credited for the miss of the day as he failed to keep the ball on target after dodging past Sarath in the 73rd minute.

In the final quarter, both sides engaged in an end-to-end battle but no more goals had been scored in the match.

Rana, who performed brilliantly in his first match as the Mohammedan SC captain, has been named Man of the Match.

Mohammedan SC will face Tollygunge Argagami next on 9th August at the same venue while Army XI will take on East Bengal at Barasat on 12th August.

Report & Photo By Debabrata Majumder.

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“I am here to build the FC Bardez brand” – Armando Colaco

GOA: Goa’s newest football club FC Bardez Goa was inaugurated recently and the new outfit is set to play it’s first official match against Dempo Sports Club in the Goa Police Cup next week.

The club begin their journey under the stewardship of one of India’s most successful coaches in Armando Colaco. Life has come a full circle for the veteran tactician who now faces his former club who he led to I-League glory, in his first match with FC Bardez Goa. Ahead of the clash Colaco spoke exclusively to Khel Now.

Reflecting on the prospect of facing his old club the new FCB chief was bullish, “There is no doubt Dempo is a good team, a seasoned team. But when we’ll be playing against them it will be eleven vs eleven.”

Asked about his own team’s preparations ahead of the game Colaco lamented the fact that the rains had prevented him from holding adequate outdoor practice sessions. But, he said he was happy with the overall balance of the squad. “I have brought senior players to give experience to the youngsters. Maturity is more importanant. If you have only juniors then they don’t have the maturity . Seniors are guiding the juniors who are learning from them,” he explained.

Colaco also elaborated on his expectations for player-coach Climax Lawrence who has joined him on this adventure stating that he was keen for the experienced midfielder to concentrate on his coaching career. “Now is the time where he has to give all his experience to the youth, put all his efforts on them,” he pointed out.

The former India manager said he was on the lookout for a good Indian striker and only if he failed to find one would he turn to the foreign market.

Speaking about the new project Colaco said he was keen to instil his own brand of attacking and entertaining football into the team and was not concerned about outdoing his more illustrious rivals. “I’m here to build the FC Bardez brand in my own style. The team will play Armando Colaco’s style of football.”

Colaco asserted that he was looking at the Goa Police Cup as a dress rehearsal for the Goa Pro League season which is a priority for the club.

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CFL: Mohun Bagan all geared up to face Aryan in their season opener

By Ujjal Sarkhel

KOLKATA: Mohun Bagan have enjoyed a lot of success in the national level in last two seasons, but the holders of the Federation Cup will be desparate to make their mark in the state when they begin their campaign in the 2016/17 CFL Premier Division- A against Aryan Club tomorrow.

The Mariners are coming into the game on the back of five weeks pre season training started from 6th July. During the training period they have played a handful of practice matches. Though Mohun Bagan have won most of those but also suffered a defeat from Peerless SC.

The Bagan think tank have decided to invest their faith in local boys with assistant coach Sankarlal Chakrabarty in charge for the CFL. Recruiters have tried their best to make a balanced team with some senior players like Prabir Das, Raju Gaikwad, Ajay Singh, Tapan Maity, Chinta Chandrashekhar Rao and Arnab Das Sarma alongside academy products like Robinson Singh, C. Lalremruata and Agiapal Singh.

“The first match of the season is always important for any team. This year we have many new faces in the side and most of them will be wearing the Green and Maroon jersey for the first time. However, the boys have done well during the practice sessions and they are all geared up. I have told them to not take any added pressure and just stick to the basics,” Bagan coach Sankarlal said on the eve of the clash.

Facing Aryan Club in their first game, Bagan will start with lone foreigner in Darryl Duffy. The Scot will pair with young Azaharuddin Mallick upfront. Prabir Das, Amandeep Singh, Pankaj Moula and Tapan Maity will form the spine of the team. Bikramjit Singh will pair Raju Gaikawad, who will lead the side in Calcutta Football League, in the central defense while Sarthak Golui and Chinta Chandrasekhar are expected to start respectively as right and left back with Arnab Das Sarma under the bar.

“Every season is a new challenge for me and I am ready to face it. Though we have a young side but I think we have enough potential in our side to challenge for the title,” Bagan’s Scottish striker Darryl Duffy said.

Aryan, on the other hand, will be playing their third match in the copmetition. Though Aryan have drawn against Gerore Telegarph in their first match but have suffered a 3-0 defeat from Peerless in their previous game. Therefor the Rajdeep Nandy coached side will be eager to log their first win of the season. Interstingly, Rajdeep’s father Raghu Nandi is the Technical Director of the team.

Aryan also have some experienced players like Goutam Thakur, Mohan Sarkar, Hiralal Chetri and Rajib Ghorui in their side with three promising foreigners in Obasi Moses, Kazeem Amobi and Emannual Chigozie.

“Mohun Bagan are a strong team and got many good players. Our boys have worked hard and will try to overcome the odds,” said Raghu Nandi.

The match at at the Mohun Bagan Ground will kick off at 5.30 pm and will televised at ETV News Bangla.

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East Bengal beat Bhawanipore to start Calcutta Football League campaign

KALYANI: East Bengal made a winning start of their 2016/17 Calcutta Premier Division – A campaign as they beat Bhawanipore FC 2-1 at Kalyani Stadium on Thursday.

The Red and Golds pulled ahead through Jiten Murmu only for Orok Orok Essien to restore the parity for Bhawanipore. However, a second-half strike from skipper Lalrindika Ralte settled the closely contested affair in East Bengal’s favour.

The game began with both sides battling out hard in the opening quarter. While East Bengal had some good opportunities to take the lead with chances falling for Avinash Ruidas and Jiten but the Bhawanipore defense led by Nigerian Richard Somtochukru made sure it was not going to be easy for the East Bengal attackers.

Having gone close on a few occasions early on, East Bengal drew the first blood in the 21st minute. A right sided cross floated in by Do Dong found Jiten inside the box who made no mistake in slotting the ball home with a right footed shot.

At the other end, Bhawanipore pushed up aggressively in search of the equaliser and on a breakaway move Orok Orok beat East Bengal’s English defender Calum Angus and slot one past Luis Barreto to make the scores 1-1 in the 32nd minute.

Thereafter, both teams had a few chances in the remainder but could not convert as the scoreline remained unchanged going into the breather.

East Bengal began the second-half strongly and attacked from the word go. The constant attack by East Bengal bore fruit within just ten minutes into the session as the Red Golds regained their one-goal advantage in the 54th minute. Avinash sent in a delightful cross for Do Dong from the left side, however the striker’s effort was blocked by Bhawanipore keeper Bubai Singha but Lalrindika was at the right place at the right time and he deposited the rebound into the back of the net.

Meanwhile, Bhawanipore had a couple of good opportunities but they were unlucky not to score the equaliser as Orok Orok and Manish Bhargav missed some absolute sitters. Bhawanipore had replaced Manish with striker Francis Xavier to get something out of the game but nothing turned out to be fruitful. East Bengal also handed club debut to Nikhil Poojary who replaced Jiten in the 78th minute.

East Bengal next face Peerless SC on August 7 at Kalyani , whereas Bhawanipore take on Mohammedan Sporting Club on August 13.

East Bengal XI- Luis Barreto (GK), Rahul Bheke, Calum Angus, Gurwinder Singh, Narayan Das, Avinash Ruidas, Mehtab Hossain, Mohammed Rafique, Lalrindika Ralte (c) (Bikash Jairu – 65th), Dong Hyun Do, Jiten Murmu (Nikhil Poojary – 78th).

Bhawanipore FC XI- Bubai Singha (GK), Jony Routh (Monoranjan Singh – 71st), Noushad Bapu, Richard Somtochukru, Satish Singh, Tirthankar Sarkar, Jagannath Sana, Karan Thapa, Manish Bhargav (Francis Xavier – 60th), Shylo Malsawmtlunga (c) (Bijendra Rai – 80th), Orok Orok Essien.

Photo By Santanu Biswas.

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Rana Gharami to lead Mohammedan SC in 2016/17 CFL Premier Division – A

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club, who will begin their campaign in the ongoing 2016/17 Calcutta Premier Division – A against Army XI on Sunday, have announced their squad in a press conference held at Club Tent, here today.

Club’s Football Secretary Iqbal Ahmed, Ground Secretary Mohammad Qamaruddin, Assistant General Secretary Ishtiaque Ahmed, General Secretary Gazal Zafar and Senior Vice President Mohammad Sadekuddin were present on the occasion beside Head Coach Mridul Banerjee and Goalkeeper Cocah Naseem Akhtar with entire squad.

At the conference Iqbal Ahmed announced that senior footballer Dipendu Biswas, who will don the legendary Black and White outfit in the Calcutta Premier Division – A, will head the Selection Panel of the Club and team building for the forthcoming I-League 2nd Division 2016/17 will be done under his supervisation. Further he announced that defender Rana Gharami will lead the team in the Calcutta Premier Division – A while winger Imran Khan will be his deputy.

Following is the list of the players and support staff of Mohammedan SC for the Calcutta Premier Division – A and previous club is mentioned in bracket.

Goalkeepers:
Vinay Singh (Mohun Bagan)
Shayon Roy (Minerva Academy FC)
Sheikh Sadekuddin (Retained)
Subrata Das (AIFF U19)
James Khaitan (Peerless SC)

Defenders:
Nitesh Chhikara (Minerva Academy FC)
Lancine Toure (Retained)
Rana Gharami (c) (Retained)
Sourav Chakraborty (Retained)
Anupam Sarkar (Southern Samity)
Sonam Bhutia (Mohun Bagan)
Kamran Farooque (Retained)
Pranit Lama (Southern Samity)
Mobin Rai (Gangtok Himalayan SC)

Midfielders:
Mumtaz Akhtar (Retained)
Usman Ashique (United Sports Club)
Mohammad Shoukat (Fateh Hyderabad FC)
Dipankar Das (Retained)
Nabin Hela (Bhawanipore FC)
Sheikh Faiaz (Retained)
Imran Khan (vc) (Retained)
Atinder Mani (Lonestar Kashmir FC)
Dipendu Dowary (Retained)
Sajeer K (Kerala)

Forwards:
Dipendu Biswas (Tollygunge Argragami)
Manvir Singh (Minerva Academy FC)
Amir Hossain (Peerless SC)
Manjit Singh (Kalyani Bharat FC)
Parminder Singh (ONGC Mumbai)
Leonce Dodoz (Gangtok Himalayan SC)

Support Staff:
Mridul Banerjee (Head Coach)
Naseem Akhtar (Goalkeeper Coach)
Belal Khan (Manager)
Mohammad Javed (Assistant Manager)
Debabrata Majumder (Media Manager)
Subhojit Banerjee (Physio)

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CFL: United Sports Club fell short 2-0 to Southern Samity

BARASAT: A young United Sports Club fell short 2-0 to Southern Samity in their Calcutta Premier Division – A 2016/17 encounter held at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata.

Southern Samity played attacking football from the very start. Basanta Singh (4th) and Ashim Biswas (55th) scored in the either side of the field to ensure their team’s maiden win in the competition on Wednesday.

United SC, on the other hand, despite missing five key players in Eric Brown, Bello Rasaq, Babun Das, Dinesh Bhagat and Jagannath Oraon played some spirited football throughout the game but inexperience caused the Purple Brigade yet another match.

United Sports will take on Peerless Sports Club next on August 11, 2016 at the same venue while Southern Samity will take on Mohun Bagan August 14 at Mohun Bagan Ground.

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CFL: Alfred, Surabuddin on target as Tollygunge edge George Telegraph

KOLKATA: Tollygunge Agragami overcame George Telegraph 2-1 to register their first win in the ongoing Calcutta Premier Division – A 2016/17, here on Tuesday.

After a barren first-half, striker Alfred Jaryan (53rd) and winger Surabuddin Mallick (62nd) put Tollygunge ahead, while skipper Subha Kumar (67th) reduced the margin of defeat for George Telegraph at Barasat Stadium in Kolkata.

Going into the match, Tollygunge coach Ranjan Chowdhury named an unchanged line-up from the last game while George Telegraph coach Ranjan Bhattacharya made only change by handing start to Gurpreet Singh replacing Arijeet Singh, who got marching orders in last match.

Tollygunge started briskly and kept the early pressure on their opponents with Alfred and Joel Sunday combining well upfront.

George Telegraph, on the other hand, employed slow build-up using short passes but could rarely breach the Tollygunge defense led by Karan Atwal and Gurtej Singh. The strike pair of Bayi Kamo Stephane and Sayan Dutta made few good moves but never threatened to break the Tollygunge resistance.

Tollygunge had the first chance to take the lead in the 19th minute, but Alfred failed to keep his effort on target off an Phoolchand Hembrom cross.

Meanwhile, George Telegraph, five minutes later, had a chance of their own when Stephane’s shot from Kumar’s pass missed the target by a few inches.

In the remainder of the half there was not much goal-bound action as the first -half ended goalless.

The second-half brought the best out of Tollygunge as they played an attacking game putting the rival defence under constant pressure. Ram Malik was introduced in the 46th minute replacing Reisangmei Vashum, and since then Tollygunge seized control over the proceedings.

Tollygunge surged ahead just eight minutes into the session when Alfred slotted a volley home from a low cross sent in by Sunday.

Nine minutes later Tollygunge doubled their lead after a swift move between skipper Surabuddin and Sunday enabled the former to slot one past the rival keeper Laltu Mondal.

George Telegraph’s response came five minutes later when Stephane and Rajib Shaw combined to set up Kumar who headed the ball into the net to cut the Tollygunge lead to 2-1.

Thereafter, both teams engaged in some end-to-end stuff but no more goals had been leaked in the match.

With this win, Tollygunge have 4 points from 2 matches, while George Telegraph have one after playing same number of matches.

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CFL: Peerless brush Aryan to log their first win of the season.

KALYANI: Peerless Sports Club ease past Aryan Club 3-0 to log their first win in the ongoing Calcutta Premier Division – A 2016/17, here on Sunday.

Ghanefo Kromah (42nd), Sukhwinder Singh (45th) and Argha Chakraborty (89th) were on target for the Blue Brigade at Kalyani Municipal Stadium.

Going into the game, Peerless coach Fuja Tope used the rare 4-2-3-1 formetion with Rahim Nabi, who was making his club debut, as the target-man. Beside Nabi coach Fuja Tope also handed starts to Irfan Khan and Akhil Rakbanshi. However, his counterpart Rajdeep Nandi opted to go with a unchanged line-up from the previous game.

Peerless made their intentions clear as they worked with a lively pace and dominated the midfield battle. They made into the rival half with a steady flow of passes and had their first scoring opportunity as early as the 5th minute, but Argha failed to keep his effort on target off Nabi’s pass. Then, Nabi six minutes later tired his luck from outside the box but his left footed shot went ballooning over the crossbar.

Meanwhile, Aryan also created occasional counter attacks but their foreign strikers Kazeem Amobi and Obasi Moses were no match for a well drilled and organized Peerless defense led by Nigerian Eze Kingsley.

Peerless kept up the pressure on the rival goal and created handful of scoring chances but Kromah missed at least two glorious opportunities to put his side into the lead.

Fuja Tope’s men finally managed to break the deadlock three minutes before half-time when Sukhwinder rolled the ball in Kromah’s path who hit the back of the net from close range to put Peerless in front.

Just before Aryan realised their gaping loopholes, Peerless banged in another within a space of three minute through Sukhwinder. This time it was Kromah’s turn to return the favour, as he sent in a defense splitting pass for the midfielder, who slotted past Raju Ganguly to give his team a two-goal cushion going into half-time.

Changing over, Peerless maintained their strong hold on Aryan and Nabi who had a good match upfront saw his effort blocked by Raju.

Aryan who did well to soak the early pressure came with a counter move and almost pulled one back in the 64th minute but Moses’ shot missed the target by whisker.

Thereafter, Peerless had numerous chances to add to their tally, but Raju should be credited for bringing of atleast five saves as he denied Kromah and Nabi on several occasions.

However, Peerless did score the third with a minute left in the regulation time when their skipper Argha found the target after receiving a pass from Sakatar Singh.

Peerless, who are now on top of the table with 4 points from two games, will face the mighty East Bengal on 7th August at the same venue, while a day before Aryan takes on Mohun Bagan at Mohun Bagan Ground.

Photo By Santanu Biswas.

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Mohun Bagan conferred Mohun Bagan Ratna on Syed Nayeemuddin

KOLAKATA: Mohun Bagan on Friday have celebrated the Mohun Bagan Day at Club tent, to commemorate the 105th anniversary of their historical victory in the 1911 IFA Shield final against East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 on 29th July 1911.

On the occasion the Executive Committee of Mohun Bagan conferred the Prestigious Mohun Bagan Ratna on Syed Nayeemuddin — the only athlete to have been conferred with Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award by the Government of India for his contribution to Indian fotball both as a player and coach — with a cheque of Rs. 1 Lakh.

Nayeemuddin, who used to be a defender in his playing days, has won many laurels donning the Green & Maroon jersey, during his tenure as a coach the club won 8 major trophies including Federation Cup and Calcutta Football League.

Sony Norde and Jeje Lalpekhlua shared the Late Karuna Shankar Bhattacharya Award for best footballer of the year 2015-16. Both Sony and Jeje performed brilliantly in the last season and played a pivotal role in Mohun Bagan’s Federaion Cup triumph after six years.

However, both the players were absent during the event due to other commitments. While Club’s Football Secretary Satyajit Chatterjee collected the trophy on behalf of Sony, General Manager of FPAI Cyrus Confectioner collected on behalf of Jeje.

The award for best cricketer of the year went to Wriddhiman Saha for his impeccable performance for the Indian Cricket Team during the past year. The wicketkeeper batsman also has been a integral part of the Mohun Bagan Cricket Team that won the Triple Crown (CAB First Divison Super League, CAB Senior Knockout Tournament and JC Mukherjee T20 Challenage Trophy) in the recently concluded cricket season.

The Executive Committee of Mohun bagan has also felicitated Aroop Biswas for becoming the Sports Minister of West Bengal while being the Vice President of the Club. Cricketer turned politician Laxmi Ratan Shukla was also be felicitated for winning the West Bengal Assembly Elections and becoming  MoS of Sports in the State Government while being as a Mohun Bagan player.

A special award was given to former India cricketer Arun Lal for winning battle against the demon called cancer. Mohun Bagan also felicitated Debraj Dutta and Moloy Mukherjee for successfully scaling the World’s highest peak Mt. Everest, their extraordinary feat caught more attention as the duo waved the Mohun Bagan flag at the highest peak of the world.

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Mohammedan SC, East Bengal play out 1-1 in pre season friendly

HOWRAH: Mohammedan Sporting Club and East Bengal played out a 1-1 draw in a pre season friendly match, played at the Howrah Stadium on Friday.

East Bengal drew the first blood through Mohammed Rafique. However, there is some controversy surrounding the goal as Jiten Murmu dragged the ball from at least 10-inches outside the touch line before playing it for Narayan Das who set up Rafique to head the opener in the 33rd minute.

Meanwhile, Mohammedan SC did have their moments in the first session. The best chance of the half fell for Dipankar Das in the 39th minute, but the lanky midfielder failed to keep his effort on target from handshaking distance, as the scores read 1-0 for East Bengal at the break.

After chages of ends, Mohammedan SC looked more purposeful. The attacking trio of Leonce Dodoz, Manvir Singh and Dipendu Dowary ran riot against a formidable East Bengal defense, and East Bengal citadel lived dangerously as Manvir and Dipankar missed back to back chances to equalize in just span of three minutes.

After several missed chances, Mohammedan SC’s efforts finally bore fruit when Dodoz equalised in the 63rd minute. Dowary ran past his marker on the right side and played the ball for Manvir whose effort was blocked by East Bengal defender Arnab Mondal, but Dodoz, who was at the right place at the right time, made no mistake in slotting the rebound home.

Thereafter, Mohammedan SC had few more chances to score the winner but East Bengal defended strongly to hold the Black Panthers for a 1-1 draw.

Mohammedan SC XI: Vinay Singh (GK), Nitesh Chhikara, Rana Gharami (c), Lancine Toure, Kamran Farooque, Dipendu Dowray, Mumtaz Akhtar, Dipankar Das, Imarn Khan, Manvir Singh, Leonce Dodoz.

East Bengal XI: Luis Barreto (GK), Samad Ali Mallick, Calum Angus, Gurwinder Singh, Narayan Das, Avinash Ruidas, Mehtab Hossain, Mohammed Rafique, Do Dong Hyun, Lalrindika Ralte, Jiten Murmu.

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East Bengal signs Somide Adelaja as third foreigner for CFL

KOLAKATA: East Bengal Club, on Friday, after much deliberation confirmed the signing of striker Somide Adelaja, who was on trial for last six days, as their third foreigner for the forthcoming Calcutta Premier Division 2016/17.

Earlier the Red & Golds had a series of discussions with Bangladeshi club Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi’s Wedson Anselme, and as per initial reports the sriker was on his way to join the Kolkata giants. But later it was revealed that the Haitain’s contract with the Bangladesh Football League champions expires in December, which left East Bengal high and dry without a recognised foreign striker with CFL around the corner. However, East Bengal management, who were unwilling to sign a unknown foreigner, called Adelaja as a last minute optition.

Upon joining the East Bengal practice on Sunday, Adelaja has played two practice matches against Bangaon Municipality XI and Mohammedan Sporting Club. But in both matches the Nigerian has failed to make any significant contributions, but barely a week left before their season opener against Bhawanipore Club, East Bengal did not had time left to see any new foreigner therefor coach Trevor Morgan decided to put his trust on Adelaja.

The 27-year old, is an experienced front-man, who has plied his trade with the likes United Sikkim, Mohammedan SC, Tollygunge Agragami and Guwahati FC in past. His most notable performance came against Mohun Bagan playing for Mohammedan SC in the 2014-15 Calcutta Football League where scored one and assisted one in his team’s epic 2-1 victory.

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CFL: Joel Sunday’s late goal save the day for Tollygunge against Peerless

BARASAT, KOLKATA: Tollygunge Agragami came back from behind to hold Peerless Sports Club to a 1-1 draw in their CFL Premier Division -A 2016/17 encounter here on Thursday.

Peerless went on the offensive from the start and took the lead through Anil Kisku, but Joel Sunday’s late strike denied full three points for Peerless at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata.

The match got off to an exciting start and hardly had the fans, who were very less in number, got comfortable in their seats, Peerless shot into the lead when Anil slotted one past Kunzang Bhutia from Ghanefo Kromah’s pass in the 3rd minute.

Stunned by the early jolt, Tollygunge pressed hard to get in the match but their foreign strikers Sunday and Alfred Jaryan ran out of ideas on entering the penetrative zone of Peerless.

Peerless, meanwhile, almost doubled their lead in the 27th minute, when Kromah made his way into the Tollygunge box after recieving a delightful pass from Arijit Bagui. However, his curling effort missed the target narrowly.

At the other end, Peerless keeper Sankar Roy came with a brilliant save to put away Tollygunge skipper Surabuddin Mallick’s well executed header.

Thereafter, Tollygunge had few more half chances through Alfred and Reisangmei Vashum but Peerless defended strongly to prevent an equaliser and went into the break with 1-0 lead.

Tollygunge looked threatening after the change of ends. Four minutes into the second session they had a chance to restore parity but Santosh Oraon’s shot from inside was saved by Sankar.

Then, Phoolchand Hembrom, in the 64th minute, made a good run into the Peerless box and set up Alfred, who failed to score from handshaking distance.

After several missed chances, Tollygunge Agragami’s persistent efforts at last paid off, when Sunday tapped the ball into the net in the 81st minute, earning a a valuable point for his side.

Tollygunge Agragami will face George Telegraph next on August 2 at Barasat Stadium while Peerless lock horns with Aryan Club on July 31 at Kalyani Stadium.

by Abhishek Shukla

Here to do my best and succeed: Roca

Blues Coach Ready For Challenge As Champions Begin Pre-Season On Monday
Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC Head Coach Albert Roca said his stint with the champions of India would be a big challenge but one that he was confident of working hard towards and succeeding at, as the Spaniard interacted with the media for the first time since landing in the city, on Thursday.
The club also unveiled Carles Cuadrat who will serve as Roca’s assistant and has worked with the Head Coach at Barcelona, Galatasaray, Saudi Arabia and El Salvador (both national teams).
“I am proud to have signed for Bengaluru FC. We have arrived at a champion team so the challenge is big but we look forward to do our best and succeed which is the sole reason we’re here,” said Roca.
Roca’s first assignment will be the AFC Cup quarterfinal tie against Singapore side Tampines Rovers in September. “We have a difficult challenge first up with the AFC Cup game and we will do our best to progress.”
The coach arrived in Bengaluru on Tuesday before meeting the team and staff on Wednesday and seemed pleased with the little he has got to see. “The management at BFC are thorough professionals which is important for us. The facilities are enough for us to work hard with and we aren’t here to complain about situations. Everyone here has opened their arms to us in a bid to help us achieve what we want to from now till the end of the season. We’ve started as one big family and that’s important,” he said.
Serving as an assistant to Frank Rijkaard for five seasons at Barcelona, one season at Galatasaray and two seasons at the Saudi Arabian national team before being appointed head coach of the El Salvador national team, Roca believes his travels through the leagues and countries will help him adapt to Indian football faster. “I believe the experiences we’ve had, not only at Barcelona but other places as well, have helped us prepare for India which is not easy but at the same time, won’t be too difficult because we are used to different cultures and travel,”
Roca admits he’s taken over the reins at a club where the bar has been raised high with the Blues having won a trophy every season since its existence in 2013 but maintains that developing football at the club and in the country remains a priority. “About the results and success, we cannot tell now. But we’re not here just for the results. We are here to improve football in Bengaluru and India and let’s see if we can make the fans happy at the end of the season. If we work hard, things will fall in place,” said.
The Blues begin their first session of pre-season on Monday.

by Abhishek Shukla

CFL: Aryan, George Telegraph play out 1-1 draw in Premier Division – A opener

BARASAT, KOLKATA: Aryan Club recovered from a goal down to hold 10-man George Telegraph FC for a 1-1 draw in the Calcutta Football League Premier Division – A 2016/17 opener, played at the Barasat Stadium on Wednesday.

George Telegraph, who made an astonishing start of the proceedings by taking the lead in the 11th minute through Bayi Kamo Stephane, but Obasi Moses netted the equaliser for Aryan in the the 20th minute.

Both the teams played some attacking game from the word go, but as the game progress George Telegraph mounted pressure on the rival goal and got the breakthrough within the the first quarter of the game when Bayi Kamo slotted home with a clinical finish from inside the penalty box. However, Aryan responded almost immediately when Moses with putting the Rajdip Nandi coached side on level.

In the remainder of the half, George Telegraph with more ball possession, made inroads into rival box and came close in taking the lead but the Aryan defence stood firm to nullify their efforts. Aryan, on the other hand could not seriously trouble the well balanced rival defense as the first-half ended with scores locked 1-1.

Changing over, George Telegraph suffered an early jolt when Arijeet Singh was sent off in the 48th minute. with 42 minutes left on the clock George Telegraph coach Ranjan Bhattacharya applied  defensive strategy which allowed Aryan to take control over the proceedings creating a host chances but were eventually denied by rival keeper Laltu Mondal.

Henceforth, either teams failed to find the winner as the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

George Telegraph will take on Tollygunge Agragami next on August 2 at Barasat Stadium while Aryan will face Peerless SC on July 31 at Kalyani Stadium.