Pratyusha Jana:
After a celebration-less win, a derby awaits in the finals on Saturday! Mohun Bagan Super Giants (MBSG) swiftly advanced towards the IFA Shield Finals, edging past spirited United Sports Club with 2-0, amidst the shooting sun and burning backlash from the fans. While the advancement was surely a happy event but the celebration was yet to find the team.
The green and maroon brigade found their first net at the 45th minute of the match. Petratos took a free-kick. Subrata managed to punch it away. Robson collected the loose ball on the left. He played a quick pass to Cummings. Cummings cut it back to Petratos in the centre. Seila Toure rushed in to block him. But Petratos stayed calm. The Australian slipped the ball past Toure and Subrata to score the opener late in the first half.
The second net came from the same side goal from Ankan Bhattacharjee in the 49th minute of the match. After Robson Robinho took the free-kick, he directed it towards Cummings. Subrata made the initial save, but the rebound ball in the ensuing scramble, the ball deflected off Ankan and rolled into the net.
The first half of the match saw an astonishing performance by USC players as Christopher took the first shot at just the 14th minute into the match. However, their continuous attempt towards the goals remained unsuccessful throughout 90+4’ in Kishore Bharati Kridangan, on Wednesday, drawing a finishing line for their IFA Shield campaign.
While talking about the match, Lal Kamal Bhowmick, the United SC coach, stated, “We have played good football today. The opponent was Mohun Bagan, one of the best teams in India, so surely we need more expertise.”
In the first half of the match, USC gave an outstanding performance; however, after conceding the first goal, the power visually decreased. While talking about it, the coach stated, “Yes! After the first goal, it was evident but it’s not like we lost hope. We created many chances and openings for goals in the second half. Our players have played well. I am satisfied with their performance, but we need more practice.”
