The big game of this I-League round featured the defending champions Bengaluru FC, crown slipping from their hands, taking on fierce rivals Mohun Bagan at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The Blues, who have had a stuttering campaign, were looking for victory to inch towards the top three and possible continental competition but were looking for only their second win since matchday three.

Mohun Bagan find themselves in an unique position, chasing both the AFC Cup and I-League titles, as with their rivals almost out of contention for the domestic crown, they are the only team to be doing so.

Bagan’s quest for a fifth national and a second I-League title had gone off the rails in their last two matches, first a 2-1 loss to Churchill Brothers cutting short their unbeaten streak in this season’s league followed by a last gasp equalizer that was required to hold basement club Mumbai FC to a 2-2 draw.

Albert Roca’s team have been awfully goal-shy this season, scoring only 18 goals in 13 seasons and with the visitors down to 10 men, were lucky not to have conceded a goal in the dying minutes of the games.

The home team made one change, Eugeneson Lyngdoh brought back in to the fold in place of Mandar Rao Dessai while Bagan benched Jeje Lalpekhlua and the injured Debjit Majumder for Darryl Duffy and Shilton Paul. Here are some talking points from the game:

  • Sanjoy Sen’s plan from the start was crystal clear. The Mariners were happy to cede possession in midfield, sit deep to thwart the Blues attacking threat in the final third and counter at will through captain Katsumi Yusa and Sony Norde. 
  • Speaking of which, Bengaluru’s problem has been the abject lack of goals and an obvious plan involving patient build-up play, without a back-up plan. Albert Roca wants his team to play with a fluidic, passing style, yet opposition teams have sat back and have been happy to absorb pressure without letting the Blues overwhelm them completely. Domination of possession has come at the expense of speed, and opposing teams have set up barricades. 
  • The first half hour passed by without much incident but was noticeable on the number of tackles flying in from both sides. Anas Edathodika, Lyngdoh and Sandesh Jhingan put in some crunching challenges on opposition players, almost hacking them down as the referee was hesitant in booking them. With the referee’s leniency, the number of tackles increased till the official penalised Nishu Kumar for blatantly yanking Katsumi Yusa’s shirt. Yet another I-League match, yet another poor officiating performance: something that the league administration seems hesitant to address.
  • Bengaluru’s midfield was bypassed with ease as Lyngdoh put in another disappointing performance as Lenny Rodrigues was anonymous once again. Cam Watson, sitting the deepest of the three, made the routine passes but didn’t really strive forward with the greatest of urgencies. For Roca’s system to work, his midfielders have to step up, something that has been missing all season. The Spaniard must be wishing for another Alvaro Rubio to fix his broken system.
  • Back to the referee again. With the second half just underway, Sunil Chhetri was brought down by Anas just as the home captain was free in the box. With just the keeper to beat, Chhetri had every right to be aggrieved and made his displeasure evidently clear as the referee once again shied away from taking a decision. It was not the first time however that the referee lost control of the game. The official’s desire to let the game flow is commendable but it cannot come at the expense of cynical fouls.
  • With just about 20 minutes to go, Subhashish Bose was sent off for a second yellow as he appeared to have stamped Udanta Singh. Bagan’s left-back has found a place in Stephen Constantine’s probables but cannot be assured of a place on the back of his recent performances. Sanjoy Sen was not deterred as he brought on Prabir Das and Jeje Lalpekhlua to try and engineer a win from the most unlikeliest of circumstances.
  • The biggest moment of the second half came as Yusa nodded in Norde’s free-kick as Arindam Bhattacharjya in the Bengaluru goal went down rather theatrically. The referee got this one wrong as well, opting to show Yusa a yellow instead of awarding Bagan the goal as replays appeared to show that the strike should have stood. Bagan had every right to be aggrieved while Bengaluru, who have been on the receiving end of many a refereeing blunder this season, benefitted from a poor decision for a change.
  • In the dying stages, Bengaluru had a chance to shoot but took ten touches inside the box without pulling the trigger. A pass-the-ball-into-the-net approach may have been inculcated by their Spanish manager but a lack of pragmatism and directness has hurt the Blues and their chances this season.
  • As the game ended 0-0, Bengaluru remained in fifth with 18 points from 13 games. With Aizawl way ahead with 30 points from 14 games, the realistic aim should be to finish in the top three. Bagan have 23 points with two games in hand on the leaders and can still catch up but their AFC commitments may hamper their title charge. The two teams will meet in the same venue on the 14th, to play their first AFC Cup group stage match. On the basis of this game, another drab affair is to be expected.