Mohun Bagan brush aside Bengal Football Academy in IFA Shield

Koushik Santra and Deep Saha scored the goals for the Mariners either side of the break.

Mohun Bagan took on the Bengal Football Academy at a rain-drenched Barasat Stadium, with the IFA Shield the match ending in a 2-0 win for the Kolkata giants.

The Mariners started brightly and looked more positive on the ball. They were soon rewarded for their efforts when a foul in the BFA box led to the referee awarding them a penalty. It was calmly slotted home by Koushik Santra to hand his team a 1-0 lead.

The Maidan side looked to press home the advantage, as both their wingers came close to doubling the lead. However, a combination of the side-netting and bad luck prevented them from doing so respectively.

The kids from the Bengal Football Academy hit back, as silky skills from their right winger almost helped them equalize. However, the bar came to the rescue for Mohun Bagan, as the shot from BFA's forward deflected off it.

The momentum then shifted to the boys in Green and Maroon as the duo of right winger and forward tore up the BFA defense once again, only to be let down by poor finishing. Meanwhile, a silly spill from the Mohun Bagan goalkeeper saw his side almost concede at the other end, only to be rescued by his left-back.

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The referee blew the whistle for half-time soon after and the score read 1-0 in favour of Bagan.

The second half was a cagey affair, with players from both sides being stretchered off due to minor injuries. Bengal Football Academy looked much the better side in this half of football, especially with their midfield finally clicking. However, poor finishing and passing choices in the final third continued to cause them headaches, with their forwards repeatedly missing sitters.

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As the rain continued to pour heavily on the green pitch, the passing deteriorated. Long balls were hooked up and free-kicks awarded to both sides. Mohun Bagan finally took advantage of the sloppy BFA defense, as Deep Saha scored another goal right at the end to seal the victory for the Mariners, after some fantastic work down the left wing.

With six points from two games and a goal difference of +8, the Mariners are almost through to the semi-finals of the 122nd IFA shield. They play Tata Football Academy on 12th July in the last group game of the Shield, which is nothing more than a regulatory tie.