HASC run into Mohun Bagan

Riding on a solitary strike from skipper and veteran midefielder Xavier Vijay Kumar, HASC upset the Durand Cup runners-up in a round one match in Gurgaon.

In their first match, Mohun Bagan were held by Pune FC who scored a late equaliser through Izumi Arata to cancel Snehashish Chakraborty’s first-half strike that puts Stanley Rozario’s boys under pressure in their first home match.

The green-and-maroon’s ace striker Edeh Chidi is down with a hamstring injury, while skipper Ishfaq Ahmed and Kingshuk Debnath are doubtful starters. A final call on the line-up will be taken on matchday, though it appears that the Nigerian forward would play despite the niggle.

Mohun Bagan coach Stanley Rozario is wary of HASC’s unpredictability and said, “No doubt there is a lot of pressure, but we cannot settle for less than three points. We were aggressive against Pune FC and hope to dish out another attacking display tomorrow. But HAL are an unpredictable side.”

The Aircraftmen will once again look to Xavier while former India international forward RC Prakash will also be key to how they fare against the Kolkata giants. HASC also boast of Nepal international defender Rohit Chand and Nigerian forward Abdulla Hamza.

“The team had been practising hard ... It’s just the start. We’re confident of providing a challenge to Mohun Bagan,” said HASC coach Thaygaraj.

In another match, defending champions Dempo will look to repeat their good performance against East Bengal in the one-off Super Cup match played last week.

East Bengal managed to scrape past promoted ONGC by a solitary goal through their Australian striker Tolgay Ozbay while Dempo had to split points with Churchill Brothers after taking the lead.