Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC struck a late goal to beat Indian Arrows by a solitary goal in an I-League match at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium on Saturday. Philip Njoku scored the all-important goal in the 76th minute to give the home side all the three points.
The young Arrows side had better possession but their forwards were not able to create any clear-cut opportunities in the first 45 minutes. Both teams had two shots each on the opposition goal in the first half though Minerva had the closest chance. Ghanian forward William Opoku failed to find the back of the Arrows net.
After the break, Arrows came close in the 49th minute when KP Rahul took a deft attempt at the goal but Arshdeep made a valiant save to deny the visitors the lead.
Indian Arrows breached the Minerva defence a few times after that but were not successful in converting those chances.
Nigerian Njoku had a great chance to give Minerva Punjab the lead in the 59th minute. He bulged the net but the referee ruled that he had handled the ball and the goal was disallowed.
Rahul again missed a fine chance for Indian Arrows when his attempt after getting the better of Lancine Toure and Caicedo Rodriguez missed the target from close range in the 68th minute.
The Arrows defence was breached in the 76th minute when Philip Njoku took advantage of a defensive error between goalkeeper Prabsukhan Gill and a fellow defender to poke in the eventual winning goal for the home side.
Bagan share spoils with Mariners
Hosts Mohun Bagan played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with table-toppers Chennai City. Sony Norde’s individual brilliance came to the forefront once again when he drew the first blood for the hosts, through an extremely well-crafted goal in the 50th minute.
Chennai City also showcased their class through an exquisite goal from their Spanish midfielder Nestor Jesus in the 81st minute. The hosts pressed hard from the start but lack of good finish eluded them from scoring. The new combination of Elhussieny in the midfield along with Sony Norde and Pintu Mahata with Henry Kisekka as the lone striker seemed to be working as they made a few close attempts to score.
Chennai City’s Spanish goal-keeper Nauzet Santana ensured that the hosts can’t find the back of the net. Chennai, on the other hand, were unable to break into the organised defensive line of Mohun Bagan and that did frustrate them.
In the 31st minute, visiting coach Akbar Nawaz brought in Mashoor Shereef in place of Romario Jesuraj and it increased the pace of the game. Mashoor, with his height, combined well with the Spanish trio of Sandro, Nestor and Manzi to make some interesting moves inside Mohun Bagan’s box, but couldn’t find the finishing touch to manage a lead.
The high-paced and entertaining first half came to an end with the scoreboard reading goalless. The second half began with Chennai City FC again pressing hard but the Mohun Bagan defence was too tight and organised to let them in any form.
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