Kisekka strike helps Mohun Bagan past Pathachakra in CFL

The forward scored late in the second half to hand the Mariners the opening win to kick-start their campaign.

Mohun Bagan kicked-off their Calcutta Football League season with a hard-earned 1-0 win over Pathacharka at the Mohun Bagan Ground on Saturday. A solitary debut goal from Henry KisekKa was enough for them to oust the resurgent Pathcharka and start their new campaign with all three points.

The Mariners gave debuts to star signing Kisekka, along with domestic signings in Amey Ranawade, Lalchhawn Kima and Basant Singh. Pathachakra also fielded a relatively strong side, with prominent foreigners like Futa Nakamura and Anto Pejic leading the line for them.

The game got off to a bit of a cagey start, with Mohun Bagan struggling to break down Pathachakra’s tough defense in the early minutes. But, in the 12th minute, a mistake from opposition captain Lalkamal Bhowmick allowed Azharuddin Mallick to stride through on goal, only for his shot to be blocked by Victor Kamhuka.

Bagan finally broke open Pathachakra’s defense five minutes later, when a superb ball from Pintu Mahato helped Kisseka find some space, but his corresponding shot went blazing into the stands. Basan looked dangerous on his debut and took a shot from long range in the 22nd minute, which whisked over. Pathacharka almost broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, when a terrific cross set winger Dipankar Sarkar through on goal, but luckily for Bagan, he was in an offside position and his header was also off-target.

The Mariners were being forced to take shots from long range and Shilton D’Silva let rip a powerful one from outside the box a minute later, but it was parried out by Arindam Ghosh. Pathacharka’s defensive lapses were helping the Mariners receive chances and again in the 35th minute, a bad clearance fell to Pintu Mahato inside the box, but his weak shot was easily collected by Ghosh. Bagan were extremely underwhelming throughout the half and went into the break in dire need of some inspiration to improve their game.

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The second half started in a rather comical manner when Pathcharka failed to effect their planned substitution before the start of the half, meaning that they played with 10 players for about a minute before Snehashish Chakraborty came onto the field. The Mariners started the half positively and Mahato broke through on goal in the 49th minute, but his subsequent shot only met the side-netting.  Pathacharka were making good moves through the wings and in the 56th minute, a decent cross found the head of Sarkar, which forced a solid save from Shilton Paul.

The Mariners created a flurry of chances after the hour mark, with a delicate chip from debutant Moinuddin Khan being cleared off the line by Victor Kamukha in the 62nd minute. A minute later, a shot from Kisekka from close range hit the bar and left everyone wondering how they hadn’t broken the deadlock yet. The Mohun Bagan fans started to grow tired of watching the slow gameplay from their team and made their voices heard to try and push their team forward.

Their support definitely did the trick as Bagan finally broke Pathcharka’s resolve in the 77th minute, when a dangerous corner from Tirthankar Sarkar created all sorts of problems in the box, before the opportunistic Kisekka tucked the ball into the net from short range to put his side ahead. The debutants were shining for the Mariners and Moinuddin showed some impressive skills in the 83rd minute, but his powerful shot was collected well by Ghosh.

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As heavy rain poured onto the Mohun Bagan Ground during the last 10 minutes, it also served as symbolism for the end of Pathcharka’s energy. However, They surprisingly managed to create a big chance to equalize in added-time. A terrific pass from Snehashish Chakraborty found Sandip Bhattacharjee free in the box, but the substitute horribly scuffled an easy chance to score from close range.

This late scare didn’t stop the Mariners from going all the way to secure their first win of the season. But, they will need to improve their game if they’re to properly challenge for the title.