I-League 2017-18: Manandeep Singh's penalty hands Mohun Bagan 1-1 draw against Aizawl

Aizawl: Manandeep Singh scored late from the spot to help Mohun Bagan draw 1-1 against title holders Aizawl FC in a Hero I-League match on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_4319919” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mohun Bagan players in action against Aizawl in their I-League match on Thursday.[/caption] Manandeep found the net in the 78th minute to hand the Mariners their first-ever point from the capital city of Mizoram. Five minutes prior to that, Khawlrhing breached Bagan defence to notch Aizawl’s first goal of the match. His right-footed blasting shot ricocheted off the crossbar to land inside the goalline while Ricky and Shilton goofed up to clear the ball off the goalline. The game witnessed everything – red card, penalty, penalty shouts, glorious saves. Aizawl’s head coach Paulo Menezes made two changes in the playing XI as David Rinmuana and Lalhriatrenga were slotted in place of injured Kareem Omolaja and Lalthathanga Khawlhring. The Mariners made a sole change in their playing XI, bringing in Rana Gharami for Kingshuk Debnath. Before the clock struck even a minute, Aizawl’s Japanese striker Yugo Kobayashi was booked for his challenge on former Aizawl defender Kingsley. The return of David proved immense as the home side dominated the ball possession. But it was the visitors who registered the first shot of the match after Lebanese striker Moghrabi was brought down on the edge the box. Watson stepped up to take free-kick but his effort went straight into Aizawl goalkeeper Avilash Paul’s hands. The hosts had a superb chance to go up but Albert couldn’t steer his shot towards the target. After playing out a plethora of passes, Albert skipped past Kingsley but eventually, his shot from inside the box flew away from goal. David then tried his luck from 25 yards but the midfield maestro couldn’t engineer his shot towards the target. The second half saw more action as both the teams went for the maximum. The first chance fell to Romanian Andrei Ionescu but the midfielder could not pull the trigger as Bagan boys intercepted. Aizawl stepped up the pressure and their efforts bore fruit when Khawlrhing scored the first goal of the match in the 73rd minute. Aizawl fans’ celebrations were not yet over when the away team were awarded a penalty as Moghrabi was brought down in the box after a challenge from Avilash Paul. Manandeep stepped up and made no mistake as he wrongfooted the goalkeeper to level the game in the 78 minute. A minute passed by and Andrei found himself on the edge of the box but his curling effort kissed the woodwork before going out of bounce. The game tempo boiled towards the end of the game and Moghrabi was at the centre of attention again. Aizawl captain Alfred Jaryan fouled the striker and was given a marching order by the referee, much to the dismay of the player and the home fans. Both sides tried tooth and nail for the three points but referee Senthil Nathan blew the final whistle as both the teams shared the spoils after 90 minutes of pulsating contest.