Mumbai rally to hold BFC

Mumbai FC rallied from a goal down to hold defending champions Bengaluru FC 1-1 in an entertaining I-League football match at the Cooperage here on Tuesday.

The home side were down by a first half goal scored by the visiting team’s impressive mid-fielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh in the 30th minute.

But they fought back with vigour in a fast-paced second half to notch the equaliser through Brazilian import Josimar Da Silva in the 49th minute.It was the third successive drawn encounter between these two sides following two stalemates last year when Bengaluru made their debut and went all the way to the title.

The draw left Mumbai at the sixth spot with 11 points from eight games while Federation Cup champions Bengaluru, who would have gone to the top of the table had they won, remained in third spot with 14 points from nine ties.Bengaluru did all the running in the first half and impressed with their short-passing game at good speed to run the Mumbai defence ragged and deservedly took the lead.

The initial chance came Mumbai’s way when in the 12th minute Josimar fed Ashutosh Mehta well inside the box only for the latter to be foiled in the nick of time by Bengaluru FC custodian L Ralte. Bengaluru could have scored in the 17th minute itself when their Australian import Sean Rooney shot at the target only to see it tipped over by Mumbai custodian Nidhin Lal.

The home team fell behind 13 minutes later when defender John Johnson essayed a long ball for Rooney to pass it on for Lyngdoh to score with left-footed effort from the top of the box.

Crossing over, Mumbai started to attack and Josimar was denied a goal by the crosspiece when his left-footed shot came back off the woodwork in the third minute after resumption. But a minute later, Mumbai equalised as Josimar headed the ball in following a cross by Ashutosh Mehta after a corner.Salgaocar win

At Margao, ten-man Salgaocar FC held grimly on to their first half lead to beat Shillong Lajong 2-1 in a ninth round match.

Salgaocar, who were down to ten men as early as in the 20th minute, put up a good show to score two goals through Darryl Duffy (18th) and Douhou Pierre (42nd).

After Salgaocar defender Augustin Fernandes was sent off for handling the ball in front of the goal in the 20th minute, Lajong reduced the margin in the 25th minute through Cornell Glenn.