Top five talking points from Calcutta Football League Gameweek 7

For now, Tollygunge Agragami, FCI and West Bengal Police have all been confirmed for relegation after some highly disappointing campaigns.

Mohun Bagan and East Bengal might have already wrapped up their Calcutta Football League campaigns earlier this week, but that doesn’t mean that the competition is over yet. There is still a few more days of exciting football on the horizon, with many things yet to be decided in the standings.

The Kolkata giants could’ve bowed out, but the other sides in the league are still fighting for a successful finish to the season, while the relegation-threatened ones are fighting to stay afloat. The penultimate week of the CFL gave some staunch discoveries, as we take a look at the talking points for Gameweek 7:

5. Rounding up equations for the relegation battle

The relegation battle is getting intense in the Calcutta Football League this season and because of the new format, four teams will have to face the drop in the end. For now, Tollygunge Agragami, FCI and West Bengal Police have all been confirmed for relegation after some highly disappointing campaigns.

Pathachakra, on the other hand, still have a chance to survive and will battle Calcutta Customs for that survival spot. Pathachakra will need Customs to lose both their remaining matches badly and will need to win their final game against West Bengal Police in a big margin. While things do not look in their favor, Pathachakra will hope that lady luck can support them and allow them to play another season at the top flight.

4. Phillip Adjah an excellent find for Mohammedan Sporting

Mohammedan Sporting’s season has been lit up ever since the introduction of Phillip Adjah, who has already become a huge fan favourite because of his excellent work as a super-sub. Adjah has scored four goals in the past four appearances for the Black Panthers, with his blistering pace, poacher's instinct and a terrific eye for goal making him a real gem in their attack. Adjah has terrorized even the stout defenses of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and helped Mohammedan register their first win over the Red and Gold Brigaders in almost four years last week.

The Nigerian striker has turned out to be a great find by Mohammedan and can lead them to bigger things in the near future if he keeps up his stunning form.

3. Is Kinshuk Debnath’s presence a necessity in East Bengal’s defense?

Kinshuk Debnath made a return to the East Bengal lineup against Food Corporation of India(FCI) earlier this week, with Johnny Acosta being given a rest. Debnath’s presence brought back the defensive assurance the Red and Gold Brigaders were missing for a few matches now, as he gave a solid performance against a relatively weak opposition.

Regardless of FCI’s lack of firepower in attack, Debnath seems to be a really assured figure in the back, who uses his experience to guide his defense really well. He proved why he should be the one pairing up with Acosta after another professional performance earlier this week, as it seems his leadership from the back is necessary for East Bengal to remain defensively stable.

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2. Pintu Mahata and Sourav Das now core strengths of Mohun Bagan’s success

Pintu Mahata was the hero for Mohun Bagan again in their thrilling win against Mohammedan Sporting in the final match of their glorious Calcutta  Football League season. Mahata was a menace in the final third and score a scorching left-footed shot to win the game for the Mariners, something which proved how essential he is to Mohun Bagan right now.

Mahata has really grown as a player over this season and under Sankarlal Chakraborty’s guidance, has given some inspired performances. Likewise, Sourav Das also had an impressive CFL campaign in which he helped the Mariners dominate games and showed impressive creativity in the middle. These two Mohun Bagan academy graduates have integrated themselves into the starting XI really well and seem to have become core players for the Mariners.

1.  Can Peerless SC go all the way to finish second?

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Peerless SC have had a breakthrough season in the Calcutta Football League this time, where they’ve defied expectations and given stiff competition to the “top two”. Peerless earned four precious points from their matches against  Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, which has allowed them to push for a late top-two finish. They thrashed Rainbow AC 3-1 to continue their great form this week and will look to keep up that momentum. Inspired by the brilliant Ansumana Kromah(who is gunning for the golden boot himself) and a solid domestic core, Peerless only need one more win in their final match against Aryan to record a historic finish.

It’s been a dream-like season for Peerless and they will look to go for the home run against Aryan next week and finish their season with a bang.