Mohan Bagan beat TFA 3-2 in Tata centenary macth

Jamshedpur, Oct 12 (UNI) Kolkata giants Mohan Bagan defeated Tata Football Academy (TFA) 3-2 in the Tata Steel Centenary Exhibition match at the J R D Tata sports complex here today.

Playing without some frontline players, including Baichung Bhutia, Bagan began on slow pace allowing TFA, which also did not field its main players, to go through their defence but the local team failed to make any opening.

Bagan with their vast experience took over the reins of the match and drew first blood in the 22nd minute through star striker Jose Barreto, who pushed the ball to net from a corner kick (1-0).

Bagan could have increased the tally, had Barreto's power-packed shot hit the goal post in the 32nd minute.

The first half saw the Kolkata outfit leading by a solitary goal.

Bagan renewed their attack after the lemon break and after some unsuccessful attempts to goal Sewram Gobin's header found the net beating TFA goal keeper Chirodeep Chattopadhya in the 65th minute (2-0).

Three minutes later Suman Dutta, who substituted captain Dharamjit Singh, picked up a ball from the mid-field and dribbled past a number of TFA players to take a powerful right footer from 20 yards as the ball dipped into the net from right side of the TFA custodian (3-0).

When it looked Bagan would win comfortably, the TFA boys bounced back in the match riding on the cheering of huge crowd. TFA was rewarded penalty in the 75th minute and striker Branco Cardozo made no mistake to beat goalie Sangram Mukherjee (3-1).

In the 83rd minute, TFA substitute Budhram Soren reduced the margin from a fine move from the left flank when Rakesh Masih dribbled past a host of defenders of Bagan and then through the ball to Soren via Gabli Sumbroi (3-2).

Bagan, who lost to TFA in last year's exhibition match, thus took revenge by winning the today's match.

TFA will play against Federation Cup winners East Bengal on October 14 in their second match at the same venue.

UNI