I-LEAGUE Media Team
NEW DELHI: Gameweek 1 of the Hero I-League saw three draws and two winners out of the five games that took place in two match days. Following the end of the round, Kolkata giants McDowell Mohun Bagan lead the league standings, with three points, and a better goal difference among the 10 teams.
The highlight of the Round has been the Shillong Derby featuring Shillong Lajong FC and Royal Wahingdoh FC. Lajong hosted the much-anticipated match at the JLN Stadium in Shillong, but it was Wahingdoh who had the final laugh as they got past the Reds with a 2-1 scoreline.
The two teams faced for the first time on the national stage this weekend, and vital goals from Bekay Bawar and Seityasen Singh got the Royals the vital three points to kick-start their campaign with flying colours. Bekay was awarded as the Hero of the Match for his outstanding goal in the game, which definitely is one of the contenders for the Goal of the Tournament.
Match no 1 saw defending I-League Champions Bengaluru FC take on Dempo SC at the newly-renovated Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore. Much was expected of the game, owing to the fact that BFC had beaten Dempo a week before in the final of the Hero Federation Cup. However, the scoreline of the game was a goalless draw, which probably no one anticipated.
The game saw India Football Team Captain Sunil Chhetri miss a crucial penalty in the first half of the game, as Dempo goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani just extended his foot to prevent Sunil from getting the ball inside the net. Kattimani was rightly adjudged as the Hero of the Match in the end.
The other game on Saturday between Salgaocar FC and Pune FC at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa also finished in a 1-1 draw. Pune FC drew first blood courtesy of Anthony D’Souza, but Gilbert Oliveira leveled the game for Salgaocar. Both shared spoils at the end of the match, as PFC Skipper Arata Izumi was adjudged the Hero of the Match.
Mohun Bagan made a mince meat of Mumbai FC as they easily got past Mumbai FC with a 3-1 scoreline at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon. Japanese schemer Katsumi Yusa displayed a scintillating performance in the game, and scored twice to rightfully take away the Hero of the Match Award.
New signing Sony Norde also scored for Bagan, and Josimar remained the sole goalscorer for Mumbai FC.
The match between Sporting Clube de Goa and Kingfisher East Bengal did not start and end in a lively tempo as the scoreline read 1-1 at the end of the game. Ranti Martins’ goal for KEB at the 7th minute was the fastest goal of the tournament so far. However, his goal was cancelled out by Kalu Ogba in the second half.
Anthony Wolfe remained the Hero of the Match for creating a lot of chances for Sporting Goa in the game.
New Hero I-League entrants Kalyani Bharat FC did not feature in this Round, but they will be making their debut in Gameweek 2, where they go head-to-head with Dempo SC at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune on January 24.
Top 2 Teams (in order of Ranking):
McDowell Mohun Bagan – 3 points; Goal difference – 2
Royal Wahingdoh FC – 3 points; Goal difference – 1
Top Goalscorer:
Katsumi Yusa (MMB) – 2 goals
