By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay
I-League Media

NEW DELHI: When it comes to Hero I-League weekend fixtures, it never fails to leave us bewildered yet beguiled. After the international break, Hero I-League resumed with DSK Shivajians’ date with Salgaocar FC at the Tilak Maidan followed by the refurbished Northeast Derby on 2nd April. The biggest battle of Indian football, the Kolkata Derby took place on the next day followed by the high-octane battle between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Since Santosh Kashyap took over the reins, Salgaocar FC have always surprised the spectators with their free-flowing football aided by the natural scoring ability of the Scottish striker Darryl Duffy, who made a comeback after two matches, owing to a sustained injury. In the 25th minute, Baljit Sahni collected a long ball from Haroon Amiri and tapped it home to put his team in the driver’s seat. Their jubilation could not last long as Darryl Duffy cancelled their lead just 5 minutes later, raising his tally to 11 goals in the ongoing Hero I-League, second to only Ranti Martins. Had the Cameroonian striker Dipanda Dica not missed the spot-kick in the second half, Derrick Pereira could have earned a win against his former club. The Greens, who are looking more purposeful now, have gathered 13 points from 13 matches so far while DSK Shivajians have collected equal points having played one match less.

Unlike the first leg, the new-look Northeast Derby produced a result when debutants Aizawl FC travelled all the way to Shillong to take on Shillong Lajong FC. The debutants, who have shown great potential up front, took the lead in the first minute itself when Joel Sunday smeared his third goal in the league from a low corner taken by the skipper David Lalrinmuana. 15 minutes later, Fabio Pena headed the equaliser from a looping corner. In the next minute, the Brazilian striker outran Aizawl FC defenders and slotted his second goal of the match. Samuel Lalmunpuia, one of the prodigies recruited by Thangboi Singto this season, hammered their third goal after the half-hour mark. The visitors pulled themselves together after the break, but their pursuit for the equaliser ended as the Reds snatched a hard-fought win before their clash with the Mariners.

The Kanchenjunga Stadium, which was ready to host the biggest battle of Indian football, the Kolkata Derby, took the centre stage on the next day. Almost 25,000 football fanatics thronged the stadium before the kick-off. The match started on a high note and both teams stressed on judging their counterpart. In the 28th minute, Luciano Sabrosa brought Ranti Martins down inside the box and the experienced referee Santosh Kumar didn’t think twice to award a penalty to Kingfisher East Bengal. Do Dong-Hyun, who replaced Abinash Ruidas on the half-hour mark, blasted the roof of the net from the 6-yard spot. After the lemon break, Mohun Bagan continued to press hard to find the eluding equaliser but against the flow of the game, Do Dong-Hyun doubled their lead after the hour-mark. As the Red & Golds dugout started to sense a mammoth win, Katsumi Yusa rammed the upper net with a strong header. The goal from the Mariners’ skipper put some life into the match as the mercury level started to soar up. A late drama was still left, which unfolded in the dying minutes of the added time. Sehnaj Singh, who won the Hero I-League with the Mariners last season, brought Jeje Lalpekhlua down inside the box and Santosh Kumar rightly awarded a spot-kick in favour of the Mariners. Jeje Lalpekhlua, who has scored three goals in the Hero I-League so far,  stepped up to take the penalty. Luis Barreto, the Kingfisher East Bengal custodian rightly anticipated Jeje’s weak shot and grabbed the ball on his right. It dashed the Mariners’ chance to salvage a draw against Kingfisher East Bengal who eventually earned a Derby win after a two-year hiatus in Hero I-League. With the win, Kingfisher East Bengal, who are just two points shy of the leaders right now, made a strong comeback in the title race. Mohun Bagan are still able to hold the pinnacle spot in the table with 25 points but the back-to-back losses have dented their title hopes massively.

The battle between Bengaluru FC and Mumbai FC has always been more than just a football match. Mumbai FC, who had made the Steelmen bite the dust at the Cooperage Stadium on the first leg, came out all guns blazing to repeat their feat at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. As time wore out, Bengaluru FC crawled back in the game and flooded the Mumbai FC box with myriads of attacking moves sans the finishing panache. Mumbai FC defenders showed tremendous character to blunt the Blues’ attacks, keeping their goal unscathed. Ashley Westwood, who had to go without the services of Sunil Chhetri, deployed youngsters Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Malsawmzuala at the expense of the jaded pair of legs of Len Doungel and Thoi Singh to squeeze out a positive result. In the 82nd minute, having collected a juicy ball from CK Vineeth, Daniel tapped it home from inside the 6-yard box as Pawan Kumar was completely off his position. Mumbai FC who were running out of gas towards the end of the match continued their disastrous winless run in the Hero I-League. The Blues, with the win over the Yellows, got much-needed oxygen in their quest for the second Hero I-League trophy in three years but Mumbai FC still continue to rattle at the bottom of the table with 12 points from 13 matches.