As soon as once more Kerala Blasters have gone all the way down to ATK Mohun Bagan within the Indian Tremendous League. Nonetheless, the match was not a boring one-sided affair because the 5-2 scoreline implies. The distinction between the 2 sides was within the defence. Bagan’s skilful attackers made full use of the area and time provided to them by Blasters’ backline.
Initially, the Kolkata facet struggled to include the assaults orchestrated by Ivan Kalyuzhnyi and Sahal Abdul Samad. Although they conceded a aim within the sixth minute, Bagan didn’t let it dampen their spirits. That never-say-die angle is within the genes of some groups and Bagan is certainly one in every of them. They’ve an uncanny potential to bounce again from adversities. I am not saying this simply because I performed for them!
Whereas watching the match on the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, many completely satisfied recollections of my taking part in days got here flooding again. Nostalgia engulfed me as I remembered FC Kochin, our Durand Cup win in 1997, and my outdated teammates. Twenty-five years have handed since we achieved that historic feat. It was the identical Mohun Bagan whom we defeated within the closing. Fond recollections of Raman Vijayan, Friday Elaho, and the late Carlton Chapman flashed by as I watched the Blasters mounting relentless assaults on Bagan within the first minutes of the match.
(The author is a former captain of the Indian soccer workforce)