KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club suffered their first defeat of the season as Tollygunge Agragami beat them 2-1 in their 2016/17 CFL Premier Division – A encounter played at Mohammedan Sporting Ground on Tuesday.

Tollygunge took the lead through Nigerian Kareem Omolaja Nurain in the 27^th minute, only for Leonce Dodoz to restore parity for Mohammedan SC in the 35^th minute but once again Tollygunge struck through Palsang Lama in 39^th minute to console the full three for his side from the important fixture.

Going in to this match Mohammedan SC coach Mridul Banerjee named an unchanged starting XI from the previous match against Army XI. On the other hand, Tollygunge Agragrami coach Ranjan Chowdhury made two change to the team that beat George Telegraph 2-1 by handing starts to defender Kareem, who came in place of striker Alfred Jaryan while Bijoy Mandi filled in for Reisangmei Vashum.

The Black Panthers dominated the game in the opening minutes, kepping the possession they placed a lot of attacks into the Tollygunge box, but it was the lack of finishing that let them down.

Meanwhile, Tollygunge took the lead against the run of play thanks to a gorgeous free-kick from Kareem in the 27^th minute. The free-kick was awarded to Tollygunge after Lancine Toure brought down Joel Sunday just outside the Mohammedan SC box.

Having scored, Tollygunge pressed hard for an insurance goal leaving lots of gaps in the process, which Mohammedan SC exploited as Dodoz slotted the equaliser in the 35^th minute.

Manvir Singh, from left side, delivered a low cross inside the Tollygunge box for Dodoz, who converted with his right foot to score his first goal in the new club.

Thereafter, both team tried hard to get the breakthrough and Tollygunge did find it four minutes later through Lama. This time around Kareem turned provider as he delivered a delightful cross into the Mohammedan SC box from a free-kick and Lama made no mistake to head home which gave his team a slender 2-1 advantage going into the breather.

Changing over, Mohammedan SC continued to put pressure and held midfield superiority but the muddy surface after heavy rain did not allowed them to play a passing game and Tollygunge defense cleared all the arial attacks with ease.

Tollygunge sikpper Surabuddin Mallcik, who worked with perfect understanding with Sunday and later on Alfred at the left flank, troubled the Mohammedan SC defense throughout the session.

Mohammedan SC, on the other hand, nearly succeeded in finding the equaliser in the 82^nd minute but substitute Manjit Singh saw his header denied by Tollygunge custodian Kunzang Bhutia.

The win lifted Tollygunge at the summit of the table on seven points while Mohammedan SC remain on sixth with 3 points.

Mohammedan SC will face Bhawanipore Club in their next fixture on Sunday (August 13) at the same venue while Tollygunge take on Aryan Club on 12 August at Kalyani.

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club will look to carry forward their winning form when they face Tollygunge Agragami in their second fixture of the ongoing 2016/17 CFL Premier Division – A on Tuesday.

Mohammedan SC currently at sixth on three points and a win against Tollygunge will take them atop as Mohammedan SC coach Mridul Banerjee hopes nothing less than three points.

Though The Black Panthers defeated a formidable Army XI in their first match but their performance was not up to the mark as Manvir Singh’s lone goal separated the two teams but coach Banerjee stays positive before the clash against Tollygunge who are currently in fourth position with four points.

“We had a good game against Army XI. Despite the heavy ground conditions we played according to our plan and players complimented each other. But that’s past and now our focus is only on the match against Tollygunge,” coach Banerjee said on the eve of the clash.

Coach Banerjee further stated that his team needs to convert their chances and can not tend to miss any opportunities against a strong Tollygunge side. Striker Leonce Dodoz played a stellar role in the win against Army XI and coach Banejee is hoping to see a repeat act from the Ivorian.

Tollygunge, on the other hand, who are coming into the game beating George Telegraph 2-1 in their last game, are looking to repeat the performance.

The Ranjan Chowdhury coached side banks heavily on the strike pair of Joel Sunday and Alfred Jrayn for the goals upfront. Joining them will be the likes of Ram Malik, Reisangmei Vashum and skipper Surabuddin Mallick who will provide options in the attack.

“It will be a crucial match and we need to collect full points against Tollygunge who are playing well. They are a good side and they have three very good foreign players. But we are prepared for the match and hoping for three points,”  coach Banerjee added.

For the record, Mohammedan SC have not won against Tollygunge in their previous two encounters of the CFL Premier Division and The Black Panthers hoping for it’s third time lucky on the morrow.

The game at Mohammedan Sporting Club Ground kicks off at 3.00 pm on Tuesday and it will be televised on ETV News Bangla.

Photo By Ujjal Sarhel.

KALYANI: A improved performance by East Bengal facilitated them to beat Peerless Peerless Sports Club 2-0 in their second fixture of the ongoing 2016/17 CFL Premier Division – A at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium on Sunday.

Trevor Morgan’s men scored both goals in the first-half through Rahul Bheke (18^th) and skipper Arnab Mondal (30^th).

The win took East Bengal to the top with six points from two outings while Peerless slip to third position with four points.

Going into the game East Bengal made a couple of changes in the starting XI that beat Bhawanipore midweek. Somide Adelaja replaced Lalrindika Ralte to make his club debut while Arnab came in for Calum Angus. Peerless coach Fuja Tope also made two change by bringing in latest signing Ugochukwu Godswill and Kallol Paul who replaced Eze Kingsley and Sharukh Rahman respectively.

It was a bright start by the Hexa Champions, but Peerless defended deep in numbers, leaving the the Red & Golds trying their luck from range.

East Bengal had their first attempt on the rival goal in the 8^th minute when Do Dong Huyn tried a long range shot which missed the target by a few inches.

Meanwhile, Peerless did have their chances but strikers Ghanefo Kromah and Rahim Nabi both failed to convert their chances.

East Bengal almost pulled ahead in the 17^th minute but Arnab saw his header hit the woodwork from Mehtab Hossain’s corner. However, East Bengal broke the deadlock in the very next minute when Bheke successfuly head home another corner of Mehtab.

Having scored, East Bengal increased their pressure and attacked the rival goal ferociously going close on a few occasions. East Bengal’s pressure yielded another goal when Arnab got on the scoresheet.

At the half hour mark, the game had it’s moment of deja vu as Mehtab once again sent in a corner from the right side but unlike the last time Arnab made no mistake to head past Peerless keeper Sankar Roy.

Two minutes later East Bengal had a golden opportnuity to wrap the game as Peerless defender Akhil Rajbanshi tipped Dong inside the box and referee Animesh Biswas immediately signalled for a penalty kick. However, Sankar pulled off a magnificent save by diving on his left to deny Dong.

The second half saw more of the midfield battle. Though East Bengal kept the pressure on and had a few half chances through Dong and Adelaja but the Peerless defense managed to clear the attacks.

East Bengal, Around the hour mark, had another chance when Rafique and Avinash Ruidas did well to combine with quick passes just outside the Peerless box. Rafique with a clever touch sent Avinash clear on the right, but a timely tackle from Ugochukwu saw danger averted.

Towards the end, Peerless desperately tried to push up to get something out of the fixture, but East Bengal held on to their two goal advantage to seal a well deserved win.

East Bengal will face Army XI next on 12 August at Barasat Stadium while Peerless take on United Sports Club on at the same venue a day before.

East Bengal XI- Luis Barreto, Rahul Bheke, Arnab Mondal, Gurwinder Singh, Narayan Das, Abinash Ruidas (Robert Lalthalmuana – 73′), Dong Hyun Do (Callum Angus – 72′), Mehtab Hossein, Mohammed Rafique, Jiten Murmu, Somide Adelaja.

Peerless SC XI- Shankar Roy, Arijit Bagui, Ugochukwu Godswill, Akhil Rajbangshi, Irfan Khan, Arghya Chakravarty, Kallol Pal (Rahul Jaiswal – 74′), Sukhwinder Singh, Anil Kisku (Laxmi Kant Mandi – 54′), Syed Rahim Nabi (Sourav Mallick – 86′), Ghanefo Kromah.

Photo By Santanu Biswas.

KOLKATA: Darryl Duffy scored hat-trick on his club debut as Mohun Bagan rout Aryan Club 5-1 on Saturady to open their Calcutta Premier Division – A campaign at Mohun Bagan Ground.

Mohun Bagan, who were 1-0 up at half time, scored through Pabir Das (15^th minute), Duffy (63^rd & 73^rd) and Azharuddin Mallick (77^th). Meanwhile, Kazeem Amobi (88^th) claimed the consolation goal for Aryan.

Going into the game Bagan coach Sankarlal Chakraborty handed club debuts to Tonmoy Ghosh, Tapan Maity, Robinson Singh and Duffy while Ajay Singh, Amandeep Singh and Chinta Chandrashekhar Rao came on as second-half substitutes. While Duffy had Azharuddin to company in upfront, Tapan, Robinson, Prabir and Pankaj Moula formed the midfield, with skipper Raju Gaikwad partnered Sanjay Balmuchu in central defense and Tonmoy and Sarthak Golui started as wingbacks in a 4-4-2 formetion.

Bagan were aggressive from the beginning as they played with quick short passes followed by long balls from the flanks that caught the Aryan defense napping. Prabir worked with perfect understanding with Duffy on the left flank, which saw him score one and assist two.

The Mariners had the first chance of the game in the 6^th minute when Sarthak attempted a long ranger which sailed over the bar. However, it doesn’t take long for Bagan to go ahead when Prabir scored off an Azharuddin pass.

Aryan’s response came almost immediately as Chattu Mondal’s attempted free-kick was tipped over by Bagan custodian Arnab Das Sarma for a corner in the 17^th minute.

Thereafter, Mohun Bagan had several attacks on the Aryan goal but for all their efforts Mohun Bagan were unable to add to their tally in the remainder of the first-half.

The second-half was a different story altogether, Mohun Bagan began to look more purposeful than in the first-half. Seven minutes into the session, Mohun Bagan almost doubled their lead but Azharuddin’s shot from inside was blocked by Aryan defender Emanuel Chigozie.

The constant pressure paid off as Aryan conceded a free-kick just outside the penalty box after Emanuel brought down Duffy. The Scot stepped up and deposited into the back of the net to made it 2-0.

Just before Aryan could realise their gaping loopholes, Duffy, who later named Man of the Match, banged in another within a space of three minutes after recieving a pass from Prabir.

There was no respite for Aryan in the second-half as Duffy completed his hat-trick in the 73^rd minute. Prabir once again came up with a well measured cross into the goalmouth, and Duffy was provided with enough space and time to head home.

Azharuddin then made it 5-0 in the 77^th minute when he slammed the ball into the net off an pass from Robinson.

Meanwhile, Aryan reduced the margin in the 88^th minute when substitute Kazeem headed past Arnab.

Mohun Bagan face George Telegraph next on August 10 at the same venue while Aryan takes on Tollygunge Agragami on August 12 at Barasat Stadium.

Report & Photo By Debabrata Majumder.

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 6^th 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.

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.

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)

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 (4^th) and Ashim Biswas (55^th) 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.

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 (53^rd) and winger Surabuddin Mallick (62^nd) put Tollygunge ahead, while skipper Subha Kumar (67^th) 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 19^th 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 46^th 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.

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 (42^nd), Sukhwinder Singh (45^th) and Argha Chakraborty (89^th) 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 5^th 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 64^th 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 7^th August at the same venue, while a day before Aryan takes on Mohun Bagan at Mohun Bagan Ground.

Photo By Santanu Biswas.

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 3^rd 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 27^th 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 64^th 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 81^st 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.

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.