Mohun Bagan established a 5-1 victory over ONGC in their opening quarter final league match of the 122nd Durand Cup football tournament, played on Wednesday.
After their IFA Shield final loss to Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan has showcased a solid performance at the 17th Durand Cup title at the Ambedkar Stadium.
Bagan could have won by a bigger margin, but Jose Barreto missed a penalty. The Brazilian, however, made up for the loss scoring a brilliant goal in the 43rd minute in the group two match of the tournament.
Mohun Bagan controlled the match right from the start as Chidi and Barreto combined well to unnerve the ONGC defence. ONGC striker’s Baba Tunde and Lalsangzuala didn’t get much support from the half-line. Tunde, however, managed to score the solitary goal in the 82nd minute.
The 16-time champions took the lead in the ninth minute after an unmarked Surkumar hit from a rebound off James Singh's perfect flag-kick.
Nigerian Chidi doubled the score seven minutes later. Mohun Bagan went into the break with a 3-0 lead.ONGC failed to revitalize even after the breather. Lalsangzuala well-directed shot was saved by goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee.
Chidi netted again in the 82nd minute from Shanta Kumar's precise pass. Surkumar struck again in the dying minutes with a long ranger to complete the tally.