By I-League Media

NEW DELHI: Gameweek 5 of Hero I-League 2015-16 has witnessed quite a few events for the first time in Hero I-League history including Bengaluru FC registering a victory against Kingfisher East Bengal in Kolkata. Meanwhile, the debutants Aizawl FC have garnered their first away point in Hero I-League 2015-16, thanks to the last-minute spot-kick by Malsawmzuala.

The week kicked off at Barasat stadium when Red & Golds hosted Bengaluru FC. The contest started on a high note as both teams were pushing for an early goal. The home team went for a few rash challenges in the earlier minutes and referee Santosh Kumar didn’t hesitate to flash the yellow card twice in the first half. Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC skipper Sunil Chhetri completely stole the show in the second half when he slotted it home from an inch-perfect cross by Rino Anto. Rehenesh found himself completely off position and he had little to do to save his team from conceding the goal. Gaffer Biswajit Bhattacharya shuffled his options to find the much-needed equaliser but Bengaluru FC defenders held their fortress with resilience. Incidentally, it’s the first time while the Blues defeated the Red & Gold outfit at their backyard.  Thanks to this noteworthy win, Bengaluru FC now hold the pinnacle spot with twelve points from five matches.

Coming from a major AFC Champions League preliminary round victory over Singapore outfit Tampines Rovers, Mohun Bagan travelled to Pune to take on debutant DSK Shivajians who were defeated by Kingfisher East Bengal in their last fixture. Mohun Bagan showed their urgency to finish it off early as Haitian game-maker Sony Norde scored their first goal just in the 12th minute of the game. DSK Shivajians tried to push their limits but Mohun Bagan defence tackled the attacking moves with utmost proficiency. Sony Norde then doubled their lead just nine minutes into the second half and it sealed the result in their favour. The Mariners jumped to the second spot with ten points, having played one match less than the leaders Bengaluru FC.

Manuel Retamero’s boys travelled to Goa to take on Salgaocar FC, who were left stranded without a single point after four matches. Santosh Kashyap took over the reins from Malcolm Thomson and deployed his horses Jackichand, Seityasen and Reagan straight way. Seityasen and Jackichand combined well and tried to find the net in the early minutes, but Aizawl defenders handled the pressure well. Three minutes before the half-time, the imperious Scottish striker, Darryl Duffy found a long cross from Gurjinder Kumar inside the box and scored his third goal in Hero I-League 2015-16. In the second half, Aizawl FC almost found the equaliser in the sixty-third minute, while Karanjit somehow parried a cannon-shot from David to keep the scorecard unscathed. In the third minute of the added time, Reagan Singh brought down Alfred Jaryan in the penalty box and the referee didn’t think twice to award a spot kick in favour of Aizawl FC. Malsawmzuala, the youngster, curled it nicely to register their first away point in Hero I-League 2015-16. Darryl Duffy was awarded the Hero of the Match but Salgaocar FC couldn’t find their elusive win after the fifth round of Hero I-League 2015-16.

Flaming Oranje travelled to Shillong to continue their enviable record in the North-East, having defeated Aizawl FC two weeks back. History was favouring the travelling team as they never left Shillong empty-handed. Fabio Pena and Uilliams Silva, the Brazilian duo, played with a positive intention and Sporting defenders had to toil hard to mellow them down. Nicholas Fernandes and Fulganco Cardozo combined well and delivered the long ball to Odafa Okolie but he miscued a couple of chances. Loveday Okechukwu rattled the crossbar at the half-an-hour mark and the players headed to the tunnel with nothing to separate them. Just before the 60th minute, Fabio Pena tried his luck from outside the box and on a rebound, Uillams Silva swivelled it to score his first goal this season. Flaming Oranje tried everything they could afford to but couldn’t find the back of the net till the final whistle. Incidentally, this was the first instance in Hero I-League history while Sporting Clube de Goa had to bite the dust in Shillong.