Kolkata: Mohun Bagan failed to make a winning start to their CFL Premier Division campaign as they were held 1-1 by Bhawanipore Club in Barrackpore on Tuesday. While their arch-rivals East Bengal began with a 7-0 thrashing of Tollygunge Agragami and Mohammedan Sporting scored a 6-0 victory against Wari, Bagan never seemed to be in control of their opening match.
Shivajit Singh put Bagan ahead after 10 minutes of play when he found the target from a free-kick from just outside the box. However, Bhawanipore goalkeeper Shankar Ray erred in putting up the wall properly.
But the green-and-maroon brigade could not hold on to the lead for long as Jiten Murmu equalized within seven minutes when the Bagan defence faltered in clearing a pass from the right flank. Although both the sides failed to break the deadlock, it was Bhowanipore who created more chances. Murmu himself could have scored a hat-trick, but poor finishing let Bhowanipore down.
It seemed the team has not yet settled down under Bagan’s new coach Deggie Cardozo, who will be in charge of the side for the CFL.
Bhawanipore’s Saiful Rahman got seriously injured in a collision late in the first half and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital in an ambulance. However, it was learnt that the footballer is doing fine.