I-League: Churchill lose 1-2 against Mohun Bagan

Vasco: Churchill Brothers SC’s fight for survival in the I-League will go down to the final 90 minutes after they lost 1-2 against Mohun Bagan at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Saturday.
Churchill needed three points from their last two games to avoid the drop and were hopeful of making amends in their final home game against the Kolkata giants.

After a dull first session, Man-of-the-Match Nikhil Kadam put Mohun Bagan ahead in the 54th minute and Churchill captain Osagie Monday gave his side a glimmer of hope when he equalised in the 74th minute.

However, two minutes later, former Churchill striker Akram Moghrabi headed home to give Mohun Bagan the lead for the second time. The visitors hung on to their lead till the end and kept their hopes alive of winning the title.

Mohun Bagan have moved to the third position with 30 points and should other results go their way, will seal an unlikely title when the likes of Minerva Punjab, East Bengal and Neroca FC have all been hailed as favourites.

Churchill remained in ninth position with 17 points from as many matches, two points less than relegation rivals Chennai City FC. It will be a do-or-die clash for Churchill in their concluding clash as they must win against leaders Minerva Punjab on March 8 or get relegated to the second division I-League.

Churchill missed right-back Wayne Vaz due to injury and midfielder Israil Gurung was asked to take that spot by coach Alfred Fernandes.

Churchill were under pressure right from the start and desperately tried to get the upper hand. Britto PM and Uttam Rai continuously sent in crosses from the flanks but strikers Onyeama Okechukwu and Jeancy Siyo left a lot to be desired.
Siyo had a golden chance to score before the half an hour mark but the forward from Congo headed Britto's perfect cross over the crossbar with only goalkeeper Shilton Paul at his mercy.

In the 34th minute, Churchill were left frustrated after a goal was disallowed. Centre-back Monday had done well to head past Shilton after a freekick from Gurung but referee Om Prakash Thakur spotted Okechukwu committing a foul on Kingsley Eze inside the box.

Mohun Bagan had demolished Churchill 5-0 in their previous meeting in Kolkata but Sankarlal Chakraboty's side hardly looked threatening. The second half though produced end-to-end action.

The travelling fans finally had something to cheer when Kadam broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. The winger found himself in perfect position and drilled a left-footer which goalkeeper James Kithan could not save.

Churchill changed tactics and came up with a double change with Nicholas Fernandes and Pawan Kumar taking the field. Monday moved forward and the move paid off in the 74th minute when the Nigerian finished from close range after a low cross from Nicholas.

Their joy, though, lasted just two minutes as Moghrabi timed his run perfectly to convert SK Faiaz’s cross. Moghrabi didn’t celebrate the goal but his team were joyous. As for Churchill, they were left to fear life in the lower league.