CALCUTTA (India): Mohun Bagan registered a confident 3-0 win over NEROCA FC in I-League at Khuman Lampak in Imphal on Thursday to further consolidate their position at the top.
Nongdamba Naorem (27th min), Papa Diawara (53’) and Komron Tursunov (90+3’) were on targets as the Mariners moved six points clear of second-placed Punjab FC.
Former Sevilla player Papa rightfully bags the ‘Hero of the Match’ award for his performance. Not only did he get multiple shots on target, but he also scored his side’s second goal.
Bagan, who defeated East Bengal 2-1 in their previous match, had a total of 19 shots, of which nine were on target while Neroca had nine of which only two were on target.
Tajikistan international Tursonov came off the bench to score his debut goal for the Green and Maroons this season.
A delightful pass from PM Britto set up the 23-year-old, who calmly accelerate past Roshan Singh to drill the ball home.
In 18 days we played five matches: Vicuna
Bagan coach Kibu Vicuna said that he was happy with his team’s performance.
“We are very happy because today it was not just about winning the match but also playing good football. We wanted to control the match and I think that we did it. I am very happy with the performance of the team. In 18 days we played five matches,” said the Spaniard.
Vicuna also added that Bagan did not take NEROCA lightly.
“We were just focusing on the game. NEROCA have good players. They had a very good chance in a free-kick but they didn’t take the advantage. It is true that we controlled the whole game. Even in the first half, we had many chances to score a second goal,” he said.
Bagan, who now have 20 points, will be up against reigning champions Chennai City FC on January 31.
