Bagan come from behind to beat Lajong

Mohun Bagan scored through Marcos Pereiera to bounce back from a goal deficit to edge past hosts Shillong Lajong FC 2-1 in a round five I-League match in Shillong on Thursday.

The local outfit drew first blood through a penalty conversion by Aibor Khongjee in the 54th minute.

Mohun Bagan found the equaliser through Edeh Chidi in the 63rd minute, while Marcos settled the issue in the 66th minute.

With five goals to his credit, Nigerian import Chidi has became the leading I-League scorer.

Having beaten arch-rivals East Bengal in their last match, Mohun Bagan thus registered their third straight win to be with nine points from five matches.

With two wins and three losses, Lajong now have six points from five matches.

However, the newly-promoted side dominated proceedings in the entire first half of the game, with visiting Bagan finding it difficult to adjust to the high-altitude and cold conditions.

The local team created a number of opportunities but could not convert any of those till after the breather when Khongjee made use of a penalty.

Mohun Bagan midfielder Rakesh Masih brought down Lajong striker Seikhohoa Tuboi in the 53rd minute only to get a yellow card and referee awarded the penalty to the Shillong outfit.

Khongjee took complete advantage of the penalty and ensured that the ball hit the net to give the crowd full worth for their money in a packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

But Mohun Bagan hit back and within next 10 minutes, its star striker Chidi found the net through an easy header in the 63rd minute.

Mohun Bagan increased the lead in the 66th minute when a stunning freekick by Marcos settled the issue.

Lajong raided the rival citadel many a times but the Mohun Bagan defence, led by Deepak Mondal proved too strong for this new team.

A couple of chances were created but none of the teams could materialise.

Mohun Bagan picked up three points from the match to match the nine point tally of Mahindra United.