BENGALURU: Mohammedan Sporting Club eased past Bengaluru FC Reserves 3-1 in their Group B fixture of the 2019/20 Hero 2nd Division League at Bangalore Football Stadium on Tursday.

John Chidi (41′, 75′ & 88′) scored a hat-trick for Mohammedan while Biswa Kumar Darjee (PG – 74′) scored the only goal for the hosts.

Going into the match Mohammedan coach Saheed Ramon made three changes to side by handing starts to Shafiul Rahman, who was suspended against Chennaiyin, Satyam Sharma and Sanjib Ghosh at the expenses of Sourav Das, Tirthankar Sarkar and Vikas Saini, while skipper Musa Mudde started as centre-back partnering Prosenjit Paul.

Despite some quick and accurate passes from both sets of players, neither side was able to establish dominance over the midfield during the early stages which made for an end-to-end, open encounter.

Mohammedan were pressing high without the ball, trying to put pressure on the Bengaluru defence which looked organised and comfortable to dictate the pace of the match and limit the Mohammedan’s options to counterattacks.

Playing out from the back, Black Panthers were looking to connect with target-man John Chidi but Jagdeep Singh, at the centre of Bengaluru defence, had little trouble defusing the searching long balls and crosses aimed at the forward.

By midway through the first period Bengaluru were piling on the pressure. Bekay Oram and Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha led Bengaluru’s offensive efforts but like their opponents, failed to be as lethal as they needed to be in front of goal.

Inevitably, failing to convert their chances came back to haunt Bengaluru as Black Panthers took the lead in the 41st minute minute with Chidi smashing home to punish some hesitant defending.

Mohammedan’s spirits were lifted by the goal and they played out the final moments of the first-half with a lot of energy, which they brought with them when they returned from the break.

Going into the second-half, Black Panthers continued to apply pressure and made some decent runs forward. Bengaluru, however, are not a side to give up lightly and despite trailing kept the intensity high, and the pressure on their opponents as they battled to find a way back into the match.

Nonetheless, the lack of finishing in the attacking third and outstanding defending from Mohammedan meant Bengaluru could not find a goal as reward for their early dominance.

However, an unrelenting Bengaluru side kept the pressure on their opponents and eventually managed to restore the parity in the 74th minute when Biswa converted from the spot after Hira Mondal tackled Oram inside the box.

Nonetheless, Bengaluru’s joy was short-lived as Mohammedan regained their lead in the very next minute when Chidi reached on the end of a long ball from the deep and calmly put the ball past Bengaluru custodian Aditya Patra.

Eight minutes later Mohammedan got a penalty of their own when Johnson Singh committed handball inside the box, however, substitute Vikas Saini wasted a golden opportunity to put the game to bed by blasting his penalty conversion attempt over the crossbar.

But luckily for the Black Panthers, Chidi was at the right place again just minutes later to burst the net with a well-struck drive to complete his hat-trick.

Following this win, Mohammedan remained on the top of the Group B with 12 points from 6 matches and will host Hyderabad FC Reserves next on March 17 at Kalyani Stadium.

BENGALURU: Things tend to get harder before they get better. With this motivating axiom in mind Mohammedan Sporting Club will continue their search for the spark that will reignite their 2019/20 Hero 2nd Division League campaign.

The Black Panthers will face Bengaluru FC Reserves at the Bangalore Football Stadium in Thursday, kick-off 3:30 PM.

Everything seemed like going in favour till the disastrous tour of South India where Mohammedan lost successive matches against Hyderabad and Chennaiyin. Coach Saheed Ramon says he will not be hitting any panic buttons just yet but insists the team must shape up and start getting results as things might get tougher for them if they drop points in any of their remaining four fixtures.

“This is a game we have to win at all costs. We are here only for three points, nothing else,” the Nigerian mentor said.

Ramon knows Mohammedan will have a tough test on their hands, both in trying to overcome Bengaluru on the field and in bearing the weight of expectation from the Black Panthers faithful.

“We need to rectify our past mistakes and close some loopholes which have been costing us dearly. We will start the match with a belief that we can win the game,” he continued.

“We had our team talk at training and players are more determined than ever. We have beaten them once before, so this is a chance to do it again. Our boys are ready, we made them aware of what to expect. We want to stay true to ourselves by playing our best football. We pace ourselves and we know what we are capable of doing.” he added.

The gaffer also maintains that the misfiring in front of goals was just bad luck for the team. “My players are working hard and showing commitment, all we need is that bit of luck to score.”

The match will be played on an artificial turf, something which the Black Panthers are not accustomed to, but Ramon is quite confident his players can deliver and play their brand of football on a different type of pitch.

“It’s a bit difficult getting used to the fast pace of it, how the ball skids off the surface is obviously different from playing on natural grass but we have to adapt to different circumstances,” explained Ramon.

On the playing front, Ramon is happy to welcome back Shafiul Rahman. The wing back returns from suspension and would give the side more stability at the back.

CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC Reserves completed a comeback to beat Mohammedan Sporting Club despite a good effort in the first-half by the Black Panthers, in their Group B clash of the 2019/20 Hero 2nd Division League at the SSN College Ground in Mahabalipuram, Chennai on Monday.

A stoppage time brace by Senthamizhi S (90+3′ & 90+5′) and Balkar Singh (65′) secured full three points for Chennaiyin after Mohammedan had taken the lead through Vanlalbiaa Chhangte (19′).

Going into the match Mohammedan technical director Dipendu Biswas made two changes to side by handing starts to Sourav Das and Firoj Ali at the expenses of an suspended Shafiul Rahman and Sanjib Ghosh.

Mohammedan didn’t get off the mark as quickly as they might have hoped with Chennaiyin proving strong tactically, setting up a deep block with pace up front for the counter attack.

Nonetheless, Mohammedan started to find their place in the match looking like the more organised, more dominant side as they enjoyed an majority of possession.

And it was no surprise when the Black Panthers took the lead in the 19th minute though Vanlalbiaa after John Chidi played a square pass across to the Mizo winger and he reacted to Chennaiyin goalkeeper Tamal Naskar sprinting out to him by chipping the ball over his head and into the net in typically calm fashion.

From the goal onwards, Mohammedan dominated the proceedings, but poor decision-making let them down in the final third which saw the Black Panthers went into the breather with only a solitary goal lead.

Following the pause for half-time Chennaiyin came straight out of the blocks controlling the ball, winning set pieces and keeping Mohammedan pinned into their own back third.

The constant attacking by Santosh Kashyap’s men eventually wore down the Mohammedan defence to the point where a heavy touch allowed Balkar to steal possession and slot the ball past Mohammedan custodian Priyant Singh to restore the parity for the locals in the 65th minute.

That goal was what Chennaiyin needed as it gave them confidence against a side which had been running rings around them. With a couple of personnel changes, the locals started looking more and more competitive forcing Priyant and his back-line to work a little harder than they’d needed to in the first period.

Although Mohammedan had most of the possession as the game wore on, failed to stick to their passing game policy. The players seemed to be more keen on playing direct football sending long balls from the centre-line as Chennaiyin intelligently and stubbornly defended their area.

And with the visitors pressing forward, their could always be the chance the other way, materialising when Senthamizhi sored two goals in just two minutes to ensure full three points for Chennaiyin in stoppage time.

Despite successive defeats the Black Panthers still leading the log in Group B with 9 points from 5 matches and will travel to Bengaluru tomorrow to face Bengaluru FC Reserves on Thursday.

MSC XI: Priyant Singh, Sourav Das, Prosenjit Paul, Vikas Saini, Hira Mondal, Tirthankar Sarkar (Satyam Sharma – 87′), Musa Mudde, Firoj Ali, Vanlalbiaa Chhangte, Jiten Murmu, John Chidi

CHENNAI: Mohammedan Sporting Club will hope that the loss against Hyderabad FC Reserves is water under the bridge when facing Chennaiyin FC Reserves in their Group B clash of the 2019/20 Hero 2nd Division League at the SSN College Ground in Mahabalipuram, Chennai, kick-off 3:30 PM.

The Black Panthers saw their winning streak cut short to three games when they were beaten 2-1 by Hyderabad last week.

Despite his disappointment with the result, Mohammedan SC technical director Dipendu Biswas is optimistic that his side will get their rhythm back that saw them winning their first three matches with ease.

“The scoreline was not a true reflection of the game. The difference was that our opponents took their chances and we didn’t,” he said.

It’s a match where Biswas will obviously be desperate to get a reaction from his men, but has admitted he faces a tough task to lift the battered morale of his players.

“It’s never feels good when you lose a match, but we still have a lot of work to do.” Biswas said. “Even in the dressing room we are being realistic because there are still many matches to play and many points to play for. We need to remind players that it’s not the end of the world.”

The Black Panthers illustrated a team on a mission as Biswas took his charges through their pre-match training session. The spirit in the team signaled much intent and purpose ahead of a tough battle that’s anticipated against Chennaiyin.

“We are facing another tough encounter,” admitted Biswas. “This time of the season is unpredictable. Everyone is looking to collect points and this match won’t be an exception. But we are prepared and ready to do the battle.”

On the team news front, Black Panthers will be missing right-back Shafiul Rahman who was shown a straight red card against Hyderabad and Sourav Das is likely to replace him in the starting lineup.

With the weather forecast suggesting that it will be around 36°C when the Black Panthers kickoff against Chennaiyin, Biswas insists that they’ve made plans to adapt in the blistering heat of the Tamil Nadu capital.

“If it’s very hot, we have to think about the game-plan. To start with, we have to manage hydration and nutrition before the game. We have been speaking a lot about that. We have been training at match time now for the last few days to get accustomed to the conditions,” explained Biswas.

The Black Panthers have beaten Chennaiyin 4-0 in the corresponding fixture at Kalyani Stadium last month.

HYDERABAD: Mohammedan Sporting Club, despite playing with 10-men, put on a valiant effort but end of the day it was not enough as Hyderbad FC Reserves walked out victorious 2-1 in their Hero 2nd Division League encounter on Wednesday at the GMC Balayogi Athletics Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

After a scoreless first-half, substitute Abhishek Halder (50′) put Hyderbad ahead before Tirthankar Sarkar (71′) equalised for Mohammedan SC. Nonetheless, Kynsailang Khongsit (89′) late strike handed Hyderabad full three points.

Mohammedan SC looked sharp from the outset pressing high and controlling possession with their quick and accurate passing game inside Hyderabad’s half.

Vanlalbiaa Chhangte was particularly impressive both on the wing and inside the box as the Panthers have set up camp in front of their opponents’ goal reducing Hyderabad’s options to a few counter attacking attempts.

Albeit displaying plenty of technical ability with eye-catching combination plays the Mohammedan SC strikers were guilty of straying offside on several occasions.

Hyderbad looked to catch Mohammedan SC on the counter-attack, but poor finishing proved to be their downfall as they wasted a number of good opportunities to break the deadlock.

While Hyderabad laboured in search of their feet, Mohammedan SC established a comfortable rhythm whenever they found themselves in possession making it tough for their opponents to impose their game.

It was a positive and spirited performance of Mohammedan SC in the first-half, which fully deserved at least one goal. Half-time, however, arrived with the score remaining goalless.

Following a scoreless opening half which failed to produce a clear goal-scoring opportunity, the hosts showed far more urgency and took the lead in the 50th minute when Abhishek made a smart run in behind the Mohammedan SC back four to slot past a helpless Priyant Singh from close range.

While the goal buoyed Hyderabad to continue pushing high into the Mohammedan SC final third, the early wake-up knocked their opponents into action as Mohammedan SC restored the parity in the 71st minute when Tirthankar Sarkar curled a 25-yard free kick into the top corner of Vishal’s net.

The equalizer signalled a lift in intensity from the Black Panthers, who made several decent attacks with Chhangte, Chidi and Sanjib testing Vishal, however, things took a unexpected turn for the Black Panthers when Shafiul Rahman got a straight red in the 73rd minute after he fouled Jacob Vanlalhimpuia from behind.

Thereafter, Hyderabad used their numerical advantage to launch relentless attack and the number of shots they had increased however Priyant covered his area well to keep some stunning strikes at bay.

However despite his best efforts Priyant could not hold Hyderabad’s advances off forever as Khongsit head home from close range with only one minute on the clock.

To their credit Mohammedan SC fought till the end and hit the crossbar before forcing a last-ditch goal-line clearance in added time, but the hosts survived to grab 3 points to the delight of their coach.

Despite the loss the Black Panthers still leading the Group B log with 9 points from 4 matches and will travel to Chennai to face Chennaiyin FC Reserves next on March 2, 2020.