MATCH REPORT

Churchill Brothers of Goa lift the 114th IFA shield

12.09.2009 :: Sandipan Mondol :Churchill Brothers won the historical 114th IFA Shield as they defeated 22 times Champion Kolkata Giant Mohan Bagan 2 - 0 in the final which took place on 12th of September, 2009 at the Salt Lake Stadium.

The first half was dominated by the green and maroon brigade but surprisingly the Goan side scored their two goals in this half. Churchill Captain Odafa Okolie, the highest paid Indian striker set up one for Reisangmi Vashum in the 41st minute and scored another himself during injury time of the first-half to round off the tally.

It was in the 40th minute that Vashum , who was instrumental in their semi-final victory over Air India, came out with a mighty rightfooter from 20 yards.Vashum's shot found the net as Mohun Bagan Keeper Shilton Paul failed to lay hands on it.After scoring the goal Vashum taking off his jersey for celebrating with other team mates, which, however, earned him a yellow card from the referee.

The second was scored by Odafa Okolie after dribbling past two defenders,Just before the breather with a spectacular solo effort.Bagan defender Deepak Mondal was deceived by Odafa's movement, who brilliantly finished off the task by hitting the net.

Bagan's James Sing shot hitted the cross bar and The green-and-maroon brigade had their best chance in the first-half but Suraj Mondal who missed a sitter in the 36th minute.

Trailing 0-2 at the half-time, Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa replaced both their strikers Kulothungan and Suraj Mondal with Santha Kumar and Subha Kumar, although the strategy did not fructify. In the second half both the teams got chances to score but was unable to do so.Bagan's newly recruited Edeh Chidi who was seen watching the match from the press box along with Barreto. Chidi was red-carded for headbutting Brazilina defender Du in their semifinal against Chirag United SC.

How ever the game ended 2-0 with Churchill being the first ever team from Goa to win the IFA Shield.

M.Mohun Bagan :Shilton Pal, Surkumar Singh, Deepak Mondal , Rakesh Masih, N. Mohanraj (76' Karthik Kisku), James Singh, Micky Fernandes, Snehashis Chakraborty, Marcos Pereira, Suraj Mondal (46' Subho Kumar), Kalia Kulothungan (46' Santha Kumar)

Churchill Brothers :Arindam Bhattacharya, Naoba Singh, Gouramangi Singh, Rowilson Rodrigues, Robert Lalthalma; Jaison Vales (69' Ashley Fernandes),Ogba Kalu , Nacimento Silveira, Khanthang Paite (67' Durga Boro, 77' Jugeshor Singh), R. Vashum, Odafe Okolie

Online Updates

Mohun Bagan (FT..)   0 - 2   Churchill Brothers (Goa)
CB : R.Vasum 41', Odafa Okolie 45'

90'+3': Odafa injured .. taken out from field.. now fit to play again..Odafa from left side.. tried to long kick.. but failed to hit the target..Shilton was not in the position.
90': Last minute effort by Mohun Bagan.. good shot by Mickey.. form out side the Churchill box.. t went away over the cross bar..
86':Mohun Bagan was unable to break Churchill Brother's tight defence..

84': few minutes to end of the match.. Churchill is still leading by 2 - 0..
81': Well.. Shilton saved a dangerous punch of Odafa in the Box...He was in the position.. other wise it could be an another..
78': Player changed by Churchill .. Jugeswar Singh came in place of Durga Boro .Mohun Bagan attack again from left side.. Churchill defence cleared the cross of Bagan's Rakesh Masih..
75': shilton stopped by diving a well effort of Churchill scorer Vasum..counter attack by Bagan.. crossed by james.. header by Marcos.. too high to goal...
72': Mohonraj fouled Vasum, Free kick for Churchill.. Ball went to Bagan defence..
70': Mohun bagan is attacking from the right side through James singh, Churchill defender fouled him.. Free kick.. taken by James.. no damage done..
67': Player changed by Churchill.. Durga Boro came in place of Khamtang Paite
65': Marcos missed a golden oppertunity..Rakesh Masih crossed a ball to box.. Marcos reached but wrongly pushed the ball.. If it touched properly ,it could be a goal for Mohun Bagan
61': Still I-League Champion Churchill is leading by 2 - 0 over Super Cup Winner Mohun Bagan..Mohun Bagan is putting pressure both both wing now
58': Mohun Bagan open a chance.. Surkumar's Shot hitted the cross bar off a james Singh movement.. then Gourmangi Singh well cleared a Rakesh Masih's good movement..
53': Rough and tough playing.. subho Kumar fouled Jaisen Vales of Churchill.. Free kick.. no damage done..
50': No Barreto, No chidi.. and now no Suraj Mondol, No Kulothungan.. who is now the real striker of Mohun Bagan? Santa Kumar? .. may be..Bagan is trying to wqualise the goals..
47': 2nd half started. Mohun bagan is trailing by 0 - 2.Subho Kumar came in place of Suraj Mondol for Mohun Bagan
45'+1': End of First half.. Churchil is leading by 2 - 0.
45': Again Goal...by Odafa Okolie..Churchill 2 - 0 Mohun Bagan. Odafe got a ball from midfield... beat two Bagan defenders with his solo run in the penalty box. Shilton came to resist lastly but Odafa also beat him and by his powerful shot the Goal net was torn.
43: Churchill s leading by 1 - 0 . The socredr was R.Vasum.
41':Naoba Singh's effort.. crossed from right side.. Odafa was there..pushed the ball to R. Vasum..Vashum connected well with his right-foot from 20 yards ..No chance to stop the ball by Shilton.....Goalll
37':Free kick for Churchill just out side the Bagan Box.. hand ball by Deepak to stop an attack of Ogba Kalu..Free Kick taken by Robert.. too far from any goal post..
35:Micky Fernandez's super free kick saved by Arindam through a corner.. Corner taken by Marcos.. Suraj Mondol's header just went awy over the cross bar..
33':Suraj Mondol missed an oppertunity.. his 35 yard shot was too long..
30':good attack by Snehasish from left.. beat two defender of Churchill..but jaison fouled him./ Bagan appealed fro penalty..referee said no..
26':Good block by Masih in Bagan penalty box.. lalthalma to Odafa.. who got the ball in bagan box.. but Masih cleared the ball..
24':Jaisn Vales passed to Lalthalma..but he was unable to received the ball in front of Bagan's penalty box.. ball went to shilton..high kick of shilton
22' : Mohun bagan got a corner..Suraj's kick directly went to Arindam' glaves..
17': Surkumar Singh back pass to Shilton to save a Oafa attack
15': Churchill keeper Arindam saved an attack of Suraj Mondol..
10':Right sided attacking by churchill..cleared by Bagan defence..
8':Churchill is attacking..Foul by Odafa.. free kick for Bagan..Marcos taken the Kick..went away over the cross bar..
5':Foul in favour of Churchill.. Free kick..no effect.
3': Cornar for MMB off Snehasish attack from left..No damage done..
MMB : Shilton,Dipak,Surkumar,James, Kulothungan (Santa Kumar 46'), Snehasish,Mickey, Marcos, Masih, Mohonraj (Kartik Kisku 77'), Suraj (Subho Kumar 46').
CB:Arindam,Nouba,Gourmangi,Rowilson, Robert,Jaison,Kalu, Nasimento,Khemtang (Durga 66', Jugeswar 77' ),Odafa, Vasum

10 man Bagan edge past Chirag in shootout.

09.09.2009 :: Ratul Chatterjee :A strong midfield resistance, gritty defending and coach Bencherifa’s tactical brilliance helped a 10 man Bagan edge past a strong Chirag unit via penalty shootouts in the second semifinal at the Yuva Bharati stadium in Salt Lake, Kolkata. Early on in the 10th minute, Bagan were dealt with a severe blow when their spearhead in attack, Chidi Edeh was sent off for head butting Du in a heated moment of aggression between the two players. Chidi appeared to have barged into Du while trying to fight for an aerial ball which brought down the defender and subsequently resulted in a heated face off between the two.

It was a silly thing for the striker to do considering the fact that Mohun Bagan, now having gone through to the finals, will miss him in the finals against a relatively bigger opponent in form of Churchill. After that incident, Bagan went on to the backfoot and Chirag started dominating possession and the midfield. For the rest of the half, Chirag were on the attack as the Mohun Bagan defence faced a barrage of shots and attacking moves from the left, right and centre. The first half saw the match being played majorly in the Bagan half.

With Bagan going for a 4-5-1 formation at the beginning, having lost Chidi, they used a 4-4-1 formation with marcos playing a double role of moving forward and back. Marcos Perreira took the burden of carrying the Bagan midfield single handedly on his shoulders as he served the playmaking as well as holding responsibilities in the centre. Micky fernandes provided excellent support to the brazillian in holding the opposition. Chirag constantly were looking for a breakthrough in the Bagan defence but Dipak Mondal and co held tight. Chirag’s moment of the match came in when Parminder Singh’s brilliant right footed long ranger from the left hand side of the bagan half was tipped on to the crossbar by Shilton Paul.

The deflection off the bar provided another opportunity for Chirag to find a goal but they failed. In the later half of the match, Mohun Bagan did try playing counter-attacking football with James Singh and Snehashish trying to surge forward from the wings but could not find a proper opening. Santa Kumar later came on for Snehashish as Chirag also brought in Lalawmpuia to put that extra thrust in attack but the Bagan defence stood solid. The match having progressed into extra time saw gain unexpected pace as Chirag were keen to get the winner as they clearly wanted to avoid the penalties and take count of a man’s advantage.

As the match was ending goalless in extra time, Coach Karim Bencherifa then came into the foray with a tactical masterstroke by bringing in the experienced Sangram Mukherjee in place of Shilton for the shootouts. The move paid rich dividends as the first take from Jayanta Sen of Chirag was brilliantly saved by the veteran. The save was the only one from both sides in the tie-breaker as Marcos, Surkumar, James Singh, Rakesh Masih and Snehashish chakrabarty all scored for Bagan.

Although the victory might have brought a lot of confidence in the Bagan camp before the final face off with Churchill it came with a big price of having to lose Chidi, Bagan’s spearhead in attack. It now remains to be seen whether Bagan can cope with the absence of the Nigerian upfront and can put it past their stronger opponents in the final. With Odafe Okolie back for the Goan outfit, the Bagan thinktank will have some serious brainstorming to do in unraveling their opponent’s defence in the final with Barreto, Ishfaq and now Chidi all missing from their attack as there lies hardwork for Dipak Mondal and co in stopping Odafe.

Mohun Bagan : Shilton(Sangram 120'), Surkumar , Masih, Dipak , Mohanraj(Biswajit 106'), James (Santa Kumar), Marcos , Micky , Kulothungam, Chiddi, Snehasis

Chirag United : Sandip, Safar, Dulal (Subhasish Roy Chowdhury), Manas, Du, Gourangs Biswas, Lalkamal, Jayanta, Parveen (Lalampuia 92') , Parminder ( Benckok), Joshimar.

LIVE UPDATES :

5th Shot: Bagan : James :: Goal :: 5 - 4 (Mohun Bagan win)
5th Shot: Chirag : Subhasish :: Goal :: 4 - 4
4th Shot: Bagan : Surkumar :: Goal :: 4 - 3
4th Shot: Chirag : Lalkamal :: Goal :: 3 - 3
3rd Shot: Bagan : Snehasish :: Goal :: 3 - 2
3rd Shot: Chirag : Du :: Goal :: 2 - 2
2nd Shot: Bagan : Masih :: Goal :: 2 - 1
2nd Shot: Chirag : Lalampuia :: Goal :: 1 - 1
1st Shot: Bagan : Marcos :: Goal :: 1 - 0
1st Shot: Chirag : Jayanta Sen :: Missed :: 0 - 0


120'::End of Schedule time of extra time.. No score.. Mohun Bagan 0 - 0 Chirag.. Now Tie Breaker will be held.. stay with us....
118'::2 minutes left.. Tie Breaker? Yes..It may for Mohun Bagan.. Tie Breaker master goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee came in place of Shilton Paul..
117':: Lalampuia good effort in the Box of Baga.. Again Shilton with his big hand..
115'::Throw in for Mohun Bagan..no impact..Du cleared the ball..Counter attack ..again save by Shilton
112':: Going to be decided in Tie Breaker like 1st Semi Final? Shilton played good game today.. saved various movements of Chirag.
110':: No score.. 10 men Mohun Bagan was trying to score..Shilton injured.. he is now laying in the ground. His treatment is going on..
106':: 2nd half of extra time started.. Ball was in the Chirag Penalty box. Du cleared again..
105':: No score.. end of first half of extra time..
104':: First half of extra is going to be end.. 1 minute added..Surkumar injured.. he is out side the frield..
101':: Bengkok long pass from left to right side.. it was too fast..out side the side line.. Du cleared a Bagan attack from the left side..
99':: Mohun Bagan got a free kick.. no damage done.. still no score..

96'::Mohonraj injured..Biswajit Saha came in his place....
94':: could be danger for Chirag.. Bagan got a FreeKick just out side the Chirag Box...No damage done..cleared by Chirag defense..
92':: First half of Extra time has started. P.C.Lalmpuia came in place of Parveen Kumar of Chirag United.. Good cross by Gouranga Biswas of Chirag.. no man in the Box of MMB to follow the ball.
91':: End of 2nd half.. no score.. now extra time will be started...
90': 1 or 2 minutes left to end the scheduled time.. No score..Chirag united was unable to make any advantages against 10 men Mohun Bagan from 9th minutes of first half..
85':Bad Foul by Surkumar.. Gouranga Biswas was aheading into the Bagan box from left side .. But Surkumar stopped him by fouling .. Free kick.. no damage done..
82': No damage done in the free kick..Shilton saved nicely ..Mohun Bagan counter attack.. Deepak was trying to enter the Chirag Box.. passed to right side... well blocked by Sandip
80':Chirag Got a corner.. Bengkock taken the kick.. no damage done... Again Chirag got a free Kick out the Bagan Box.
78': Player Change.. Chirag united's Parminder sing out and Bengkok in...For Mohun bagan ..Santa Kumar in and James Singh out

Chirag got athrow in.. Gouranga took the Throw in.. direct to Shilton's hand..
70': Parminder Singh's high kick went to Shilton.. Parminder is injured.. he is now out side the field for treatment.No.. Benginkock is warming up. probably he will enter in place of Parminder...
68': Mohun Bagan was trying to enter from right side.. Chirag defense is well alert.. Du cleared the ball...counter attack by Chirag..
66': Still no score.. Good ball.. parveen kumar got it .. but offside..
62': Referee shown yellow card to Chirag Captain Lalkamal Bhowmick for a foul out side the Chirag Box.
58': Player changed for Chirag.. Dulal Biswas out and Subhasish Roy Chowdhury in.. Long shot of Manas das went away..
54':Danger into he MMB box.. Chirag's Parminder Singh got a ball froma good movement.. his powerful shot hitted the cross bar and went away..

48':10 men Mohun Bagan is fighting well.. Throw in for Chirag.. Gouranga threw the ball in the Penalty box.. MMB defense cleared the ball..
47': No goal yet.. Chirag is putting more pressure throuh their wings.. Got acorner.. Shilton cleared the ball.. again corner..cleared by MMB defense..
HALF TIME: Half Time score goalless.
45': A right side attack of Chirag through Jayanta sen .. Went to parveen kumar..parveen pusehed the ball..went away..
44': Chirag got a corner.. Du's header just went away over the cross bar..
42':Few minutes to go to end of 1st half.. Mohun bagan is playing 10 Men without their striker Chidi from 14th minutes of the match.. No score yet..
38':Attack and counter attack.. Chirag attacked from left. well snatched by james of MMB.. counter attack..saved by Du..
36':Dulal Biswas of Chirag fouled James Singh of Mohun Bagan... MMB got a free kick.. Marcos taken..out..
34': Goal Kick of Mohun Bagan.. Long shot of Shilton.. Marcos fould a Chirag player.. Free kick in favour of Chirag.. no damage done..
32': Long ball to Chirag box from MMB Midfield.. Snehasish tried to get the ball but alert Chirag Defense..
30': Still no score..Danger in the MMB Box.. one to one Joshimar and Shilton..well saved by Shilton by dyving ..
26':Mohun Bagan Goit a free kick just out side the Chirag Box.. Marcos Taken..went out..
24':': Chirag got a corner.. Gouranga Biswas took the corner.. MMB defense cleared the ball..
21':':Marcos got a ball.. solo run.. tried to pass.. blocked by Du of Chirag.
19':':Long ball from Chirag.. went to left side..crossed the ball.. went away over the cross bar..
15':: 10 men Mohun Bagan is moving now from left side.. James was trying to endter into the Box.. cleared by Chirag Defense..
8':: Du injured.. laying on the field..Chidi fouled him.. Referee O.P.Thakur shoen him Red Card.
5':: Marcos to james.. James long pass to left side.. no man.. counter attack by Chirag..Dulal crossed..but no one there
3'::Throw in For MMB long throw of Mohonraj. Direct to Chirag keeper Sandeep's Hand.
1': Match started..Superb Green turf Salt Lake Stadium..Mohun Bagan on the move from left.. stopped by Chirag Defense..

CHURCHILL SCRAPE THROUGH TO IFA SHIELD FINAL

08.09.2009 :: S.Mitra :Churchill Brothers beat Air India today 4 - 2 (1 - 1) in penalty shootout to reach final of IFA Shield. They will play against winner of Mohun Bagan and Chirag United which will be played tomorrow.

Today, it was for the first time a match was held in artificial turf in India. The ground condition was perfect, thanks to the turf, in spite of the incessant rain in Kolkata from today morning.

Churchill had a positive start and in 1st minute itself, Kalu missed an easy header from Robert corner. In 6th minute, Naoba took a free kick that Bend like Beckham but Arnab made a spectacular save stretching completely to his right. Churchill kept their pressure and within 10 minutes got three corners, from which Durga Boro's shot narrowly missed target and in another attempt Vashum should have done better.

Against run of play, Air India took lead in 13th minute, Soccor Velho entered box via right flank and took a shot that deflected off Rowilson and completely foxed goalkeeper Arindam and went to back of net making it 1-0 in favor of Air India.

In 21st minute, Vashum took a free kick and ball went to Jaison who breaking the offside trap went for the ball but could not get his boot to the ball, missing a very good chance to score. In next minute, Dada Nabeel darted down left flank, dodged past two players and instead of passing the ball took a shot that went out of target. Just before half time, Churchill made one change bringing on Dannies Fernandes in place of Jaison Vales.

Tapan Maity had a good game for Air India. For Churchill, Robert, Vashum and Kalu played well. Churchill kept possession of the ball but mainly relied on crosses which were going in vain as they did not have Odafa today, their strikers today were not long who would have been able to meet the cross. However, nothing to take away from efforts of Air India who defended well.

In 51st minute, Kalu took a right footer that sailed over cross bar, he had got body under the ball and should have found target from that distance. In 58th minute, this time it was turn of Air India when Tapan Maity's shot went over crossbar. In 2nd half, Churchill coach changed his strategy and brought Kalu up and in a quick sucession, he made two changes bringing on Navin and Ashley in place of Naoba and Dannies.

Air India coach Bimal Ghosh also made one change bringing on H. Thomte in place of Dada Nabeel. In 72nd minute, Durga Boro was brought down by H. Thomte in front of box, Kalu took a rasping shot which deflected off wall for corner. Air India made their 2nd change replacing Henry by Harpreet Singh. Henry was lucky today not to have been blooked a couple of times.

In 76th minute, Vashum scored a brilliant goal when he got the ball near center circle, made a diagonal run and just from top of box lobbed the ball that went over Arnab's head into goal.

In 79th minute, Robert who had a very good game today took a free kick that again curled and beat everybody including goalkeeper but missed goal by a whisker. From counter attack, Tapan took a very good shot that was saved by Arindam diving to his right.In 85th minute, it was again turn of Arnab to show his good reflexes when he brilliantly saved a shot from Durga Boro from right side of penalty box.

Minutes before final whistle of stipulated time, Opara who was left unmarked inside box had full view of the goal but took a very weak shot which went straight to Arindam. Opara has good skills but does not have good speed to bother defence.

The match went to extra time, in 3rd minute, Air India had a lucky escape when from Robert's free kick, Harpreet almost scored a same side goal, his head bounced and went over bar. In 10th minute, it was Harpreet's time to make amends but his shot unluckily beat Arindam and went out.

Air India made their last change in 8th minute of 2nd half replacing Soccor Velho with Kailash Patil. 2 minutes before final whistle, Air India missed the easiest chance of the match when a cross from left side went straight across the face of goal and Opara should have stuck his foot and tried to score.

The match ended at 1-1 after 120 minutes and went to penalties.

Churchill converted 4 out of their 5 attempts while Air India could score only 2 goals, thus Churchill reached finals of IFA Shield.

PENALTY SHOOT OUT :: CHURCHILL

1. KALU: Scores, right top corner, Goalkeeper dives in same direction. It was the best penalty taken today.

2. NAVIN KUMAR: Scores, not a convincing shot, took it straight, Goalkeeper dives to right, ball touches his foot and goes in.

3. GOURMANGI: Scores, grounder shot, left of goalkeeper, goalkeeper dives same direction but cannot save.

4. VASHUM: Missed. The shot was taken left of goalkeeper, Arnab dives and get his hand to it, ball hits barpost and goes out.

5. NASIMENTO: Scores, this was the winning goal for Churchill, very good shot, right of goalkeeper, Arnab had committed himself to the left.

PENALTY SHOOT OUT :: AIR INDIA

1. HARPREET SINGH: Scores, left side grounder shot, goalkeeper dives in opposite direction.

2. KAILASH: Miss by a penalty specialist, goalkeeper had dived in opposite direction, but ball hit crossbar.

3. TAPAN MAITY: Miss, very poor shot, the worst taken penalty of today, took the shot left of goalkeeper that went wide, goalkeeper had dived in that direction.

4. BIJIT: Scores, took the shot left of goalkeeper, ground level, goalkeeper dived in opposite direction.

5. AIR INDIA DID NOT REQUIRE TO TAKE THE LAST SHOT.

After match, coach Bimal Ghosh said, "We should have scored the goal just before final whistle, that was an easy chance missed. We had practiced penalties but unfortunately missed two."

Churchill Brothers :Arindam Bhattacharya, Rowilson Rodrigues, Robert Lalthalma, Naoba Singh ( 62' S. Naveen Kumar), Gouramangi Singh, Reisangmei Vashum, Ogba Kalu , Nacimento Silveira,Khanthang Paite, Durga Boro,Jaison Vales (41' Dannies Fernandes, 67' Ashley Fernandes)

Air India : Arnab Das Sharma, Uttam Singh; Ravinder Singh, Vijith Shetty, Tapan Maity,Henry Gangte (75' Harpreet Singh), Khelemba Singh, Praneel Mendon, Soccor Velho (114' Kailash Patel),Mohammed Dada Nabeel (68' Hringsolal Thomte), N.D. Opara,


Mohun Bagan enters into the Semi Final of IFA shield

06.09.2009 :: ARUNAVA NAG : The do or die match between McDowell Mohun Bagan and Mahindra United took place on 6th of September, 2009 at the Mohun Bagan Ground. The match ended 1 - 1 with Mohun Bagan qualifying for the semi-final of the IFA Shield on goal difference. They will meet an another Kolkata as well as I-League team Chirag United.

The match started in a clumsy manner. However the defending champion, Mahindra United got a chance to take a lead early in the match. In the 5th minute Mohammad Rafi got a chance one on one with goal keeper Shilton Paul but failed to utilize it as the ball went well away from the goal.

Just after two minutes Chiddi’s shot from a lob from Micky Fernandez was saved by Subhasish Roy Chowdhury just on the goal line.

In the 24th minute the first goal of the match was scored by the green and maroon. James Singh crossed the ball after a little cut. Chiddi performed a beautiful dummy and the ball was headed inside the goal by Snehasish who came from the back and thus got an advantage.

In the 30th minute Mahindra United midfielder, Mijin got an easy chance to equalize the score. Asheem Kutty sent a low cross in the penalty area for Mijin but he failed to take a proper shot.

Thus the 1st half ended in favor of Mohun Bagan who as at the lead of 1-0.

In the second half Mahindra coach, David Booth started to use his trump cards. He used his first one by replacing Steven Dias in place of Thoi Singh. Just after 1 minute from the beginning of the second half David got the result as Mahindra equalized the score. It was Mijin who scored the goal by a header from a cross from Asheem.

In the 63rd minute Mahindra United got a genuine chance to take a lead. Mijin’s corner was headed by Mohammad Rafi but the young Shilton Paul saved it. However Muritala got a chance to score on the rebound but he sent the ball over the cross bar.

In the 65th minute David booth used his second trump card by replacing Muritala Ali with the striker of the Indian national squad Sushil Singh.

From now Mahindra started to dominate the game. In the 69th minute Steven Dias took a shot corner to Denzie Franco who lobbed the ball to Mijin. Mijin took a powerful head but was saved by Shilton Paul, thanks to his reflex.

In the 72nd minute chaos occurred as one of the green and maroon fan hit Subhasish with a stone. Due to this the players faced the problem and the game was stopped for nearly 9 minutes for inspection.

The game continued till 99th minute. The referee’s final whistle confirmed Mohun Bagan about their position in the semi final of the IFA Shield. The game ended 1 - 1.

TEAMS

M.Mohun Bagan : Shilton Paul, Dipak Mondol, Rakesh Masih, N.Mohonraj, Surkumar Singh, Marcos Pereira, Kalia Kulothungon, Mickey Fernandez, Snehasish Chakrabarty (Santa Kumar), L.James Singh (Sangram Mandi), Chidi Edeh.

Mahindra United : Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Denzil Franco, D.Ravanan, Kali Alaudden, Susant Mathew, Debabrata Roy, K.Thoi singh, Md. Rafi, Aseem Kutty, Muritala Ali(Sushil Singh), Suetogar Mijin (N.P.Pradeep)

Yellow Cards : Micky Fernandez, Marcos Pereira and Deepak Mondal (All Mc Mohan Bagan) and S.Muritala Ali (Mahindra United). Referee:- A. Arjunan (Services)


Chirag beat East Bengal to reach in the Semi Final of IFA shield

05.09.2009 :: Arunava Nag, Kolkata :Chirag United snatched their position in the semi final of the IFA Shield from TFA by defeating Kingfisher East Bengal by the margin of 4-2. The match was played on 5th of September, 2009 at the Barasat Stadium.

The goal scorers for Chirag were Malswama Tulunga who scored twice in the match, Josimar and Lalkamal Bhowmik. On the other hand the goal scorers of East Bengal were Riston Rodriguez and Subhas Singh.

Chirag qualified to the semi final from the group stage by goal difference.

East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmik named his squad with more or less skillful and experienced players like Rahim Nabi, Mehtab Hussain and the former Indian goalkeeper Arup Debnath.

But still they stumbled right at the beginning of the match. It was a great start for Chirag who scored twice within 20 minutes from kick off. Malswama Tulunga broke the dead lock in the 7th minute by scoring a wonderful goal from a long range shot. However the goal could have been saved by the red and gold goal keeper Arup Debnath but he went quite a distance away from the goal line.

In the 18th minute the Brazilian striker Josimar dribbled past two defenders and centered the ball in the penalty area. Arup Debnath failed to catch the ball and it fell lurking in front Lalkamal. The former Mohan Bagan midfielder did no mistake and increased the lead for his team, Chirag United.

But after 3 minutes the East Bengal scored the first goal. It was scored by Riston Rodriguez as he took a superb shot from a free kick and the ball curved its way past Chirag goalkeeper, Sandip Nandy into the goal.

This was the turning point of East Bengal’s performance. From now East Bengal started to threaten the Chirag defense frequently. It was in the 41st minute when East Bengal equalized the score. The Brazilian striker, Edmilson sent a low cross in the penalty area and Mehtab Hussain gave a touch, but was saved by Sandip Nandy. However Subhas Singh did no mistake and scored the equalizer on the rebound. The 1st half ended 1-1.

In the second half the match was more interesting as both sides attacked each other frequently. In the 55th minute Edmilson of East Bengal took a powerful long ranged shot but it was only side netting.

In the 57th minute Chirag coach Subrata Bhattacharya used his 1st substitution by replacing Sandip Nandy by Somenath Khara. In the 61st minute Parveen Kumar was replaced by Lalom Puia.

East Bengal got another chance to take the lead but was refused by the Chirag goal keeper. The red and gold left back Saikat Saharoy crossed the ball and Bekhokhei Singh attempted a flying header but was saved by Somenath Khara.

As the age of the match increased the players were facing greater physical challenge. It was in the 75th minute when Chirag scored their third goal. It was Tulunga the same man who scored a goal from a pass from Josimar. It was his second of the match.

It was in the 89th minute when Josimar put the nails on the coffin of East Bengal by scoring a superb goal.

KF East Bengal: Arup Debnath, Wasim Firoze, Gobin Singh, Saikat Saharoy, Syed Rahim Nabi, Mehtab Hussain( Harmanjit Singh Khabra), Sanju Pradhan, Riston Rodriguez, Bekhokhei Singh, Edmilson(Goutam Khujur) and Subhas Singh.

Chirag United : Sandip Nandy(Somenath Khara), Subhasish Roychowdhury, Du, Manas Das, Safar Sardar, Tulunga, Gauranga Biswas (Denson Debdas), Jayanta Sen, Lalkamal Bhowmik, Parveen Kumar(Lalam Puia) and Josimar.

Goal scorer

CHIRAG UNITED : M.Tulunga 7', 75', Parveen Kumar 18', Joshimar 90'+1'
KF EAST BENGAL : Riston Rodrigues 21', Subhas Singh

Yellow card – Lalkamal Bhowmick , Subhasish Roy Vhowdhury (both Chirag United) and Sanju Pradhan (KF East Bengal).

Referee- Sreekrishna from Kerala.

In an another match at Mohun Bagan Ground Senegal Team AS Dounaes lost to Pune F.C by 0 - 2. In the first half of the match Izumi Arata and Jeje Lalpekhlua scored for Pune F.C. But in this Group Air India already Qualified in the Semi Final. They will play against Churchill Brothers.

Bagan brushes aside George Telegraph

04.09.2009 :: RATUL CHATTERJEE, KOLKATA : Mohun Bagan AC got off a perfect start in their IFA Shield campaign with a whooping 4 - 0 victory over minnows George Telegraph. Bagan sans Barreto, Ishfaq Ahmed, Habibur Rahman and N.S. Manju looked far too good for their opponents as they should have won by a higher goal margin had they taken their opportunities which included a missed spot kick early.

After the signing of Surkumar Singh, Bagan were able to deploy four of the national team players that also included Mohan Raj, Dipak Mondal and Rakesh Masih. They got off to the best possible start with Chidi Edeh being able to get a touch in scrambling the ball through into the net in the 3rd minute of play. Bagan took the game by the scruff of its neck by attacking their opponents from the word go. Bagan looked all over George like a rash from the very first minute as their attacking gameplay was mixed with short quick pass exchanges and overlapping wing play.

Karim Bencherifa, the Mohun Bagan coach seemed to have preferred a modified 4-4-2 formation with Marcos Perreira playing behind Chidi as the shadow striker and also helping him in going upfront and serving the midfield as the second target man on occasions. It was very soon after the second goal that Bagan earned a clear penalty as Chidi was pulled down by the George defender. It was a golden opportunity to go 2-0 up but Chidi missed the target by blasting the ball over the bar. James was a live wire on the right wing as often his runs would leave the George defence startled. He soon went on to score the second in the last quarter of the first half with a looping header of a cross from the left. It was only a minute before Chidi scored his second and Bagan’s third with a clever finish on an attacking run down the centre.

The second half produced just one goal towards the end with Subho Kumar scoring with a long ranger coming on as a substitute for Marcos Perreira. The George defence looked in shambles from the very beginning with the goalkeeper making mistakes and fumbling on a couple of occasions. George had its moments in the second half as they hit the crossbar once early on in the half. The midfield battle was clearly won by Bagan as they were in total control of the match. The defence would be very happy along goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee playing the skipper for the match for keeping a clean sheet.

Mohan Raj looked a little ragged after national team duty but was still able to play a vital part alongside Dipak Mondal in keeping the cleansheet. Surkumar played brilliantly in the right flank combinig with James and providing the attacking impetus. The margin of this victory was vital for the club as a point from their game against Mahindra would be enough to see them through to the semis as due to a better goal diffrerence. Karim and the management staff would be very pleased with the performance and would look confident to go through to the semis.

M.Mohun Bagan : Sangram Mukherjee, Deepak Mondol,Surkumar Singh, N.Mohonraj,Rakesh Masih,Marcos Pereira (Subho Kumar 73'),L.James Singh, Kalia Kulothungon, Snehasish Chakrbarty, Chidi Edeh (Suraj Mondol 86'), Micky Farnandez.

C. George Telegraph:Sibram Dey, Pintu Manna, Amit Kundu, Debkumar Sasmal, Dipak Singh, Pintu Prodhan, H.G.Beirona, Jordin Lama, Prodip Roy, Aviola,Henry

Churchill Brothers booked their semi-final berth in the 114th IFA Shield as top of Group 'B ' with four points.
Carlos Pereira-coached side made it to the semifinals on a better goal difference than Mohammedan Sporting.
Today in an another match at Barasat Vidyasagar Stadium they beat Shillong Lajong F.C by 2 - 0. Khantank Paite scored for the winner in first half and odafa Okolie scored scored in the 2nd half through penalty.
GROUP - B M WDL GFGAGDPNT
Churchill Brothers2 110 31+24
Mohammedan SC 2 11021+14
Shillong Lajong F.C2 002 02-20

TFA knock out East Bengal from IFA Shield

03.09.2009 :East Bengal knocked out of the IFA Shield following a shocking 1 - 3 loss to a young Tata Football Academy Boys in a Group A tie at the Vidyasagar Krirangan in Barasat.

East Bengal took the lead in the 40th minute on the counter through skipper Syed Rahim Nabi.He scores from Saikat center. Saikat crossed from right side, which deflects off a TFA defender and goes to Subhash Singh who miscued, ball goes to Nabi, who brilliantly taps the ball to score.

In the 2nd half, the Tata boys equalised and scored two goals in a space of two minutes at the death to virtually enter the next round.

TFA, equalised in the 61st minute through Jagtar Singh From long throw of jersey Raju Gaikoad, while Irfan Khan's header in the 87th minute saw the youngsters go 2-1 up against the local favourites.

Robin Singh struck the killer blow in the 89th minute to end East Bengal's IFA Shield campaign.

Having played a 1-1 draw with Chirag United SC in their earlier match, TFA now lead Group A with 4 points to have a bright prospect of making it to the last-four.

East Bengal, on the other hand, are out of the Shield as a win against United SC ould be insufficient for their progress into the semifinals.

TEAMS:

East Bengal:Abhra Mondol, Nirmal Chhetri (Saikat Saha Roy 37'),Yan Berger (Harmanjit 66') ,Edmilson Pardal, Subhash Singh,Mehrajuddin,Riston Rodrigues, Mehtab Hossain,Soumik Dey, Gobin Singh(Goutam Kujur 46')

TFA:Ishan Debnath, Jagdeep Singh, Hardeep Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Raju Gaekwad, Subodh Kumar, P. Niroshan Mani(Irfan Khan 82'), Robin Singh,S.Siam Hanghal,Jagannath Sana, Jagtar Singh

Odafe Okolie & Co. held by Mohammedan Sporting

02.09.2009 :Ratul Chatterjee , Kolkata :Mohamedan Sporting put up a spirited performance against favourites Churchill Brothers at Mohun Bagan AC ground today to hold them to a 1-1 draw. R.Vasum scored for the last season’s National league champions while Dipendu Biswas leveled for the black and whites in within a matter of minutes with a close range header.

Both goals coming in the first half itself as effort wise, both sides matched each other. Mohammedan, in fact should have gone 2-1 up had it not been for a brilliant double reflex save from the Churchill goalkeeper. Odafe, the star striker for Churchill, was well marked by the sporting defenders although he had some shots from just outside the box which were not on target.

The second half play was dictated by Churchill brothers as Mohammedan seemed to lose the midfield battle. Eduardo, was the lone striker who played upfront as Dipendu was substituted later on. Mohammedan looked to play on the counter as Churchill dictated possession. A late free kick from the edge of the area for Churchill gave them a chance to win it but Odafe only managed to hit the wall.

Chances were hardly created as some rough tackles flew in from both sides. Odafe was booked for his rough behavior towards the referee. This leaves Mohammedan with a chance to go through provided Lajong FC are able to hold the league champions or better yet beat them as they are now on 4 points. Churchill will look to put it past the Shillong side as they will be looking to go through from their group convincingly.

Mohammedan S.C::Nasim Akhtar,Peter Odafe,Farooq Haidar(Bijoy Das),Amrit Pal Singh ,Dipendu Biswas(Nilendra Dewan),Anupam Sarkar,Sovon Chakrabarty,Jyothi Kumar, Eduardo Escober, Joeeb Hassan ,Babin Biswas(Lalchwulwma).

In an another match of Group "D" played at Howrah Stadium AS Dounaes of Senegal made a goalless draw against Mumbai based Air India. Air India is now leading in their group with 4 points.

Today At Howrah Stasium , AS Dounaes the club from Senegal, a country ranked 84th in FIFA rankings, of Senegal played with five national players against Air Men but found the going tough in their first appearance in India.

The club from Senegal, a country ranked 84th in FIFA rankings, may appear favourites to win the title, but they have a tough task after the Air Men held them goalless. Now the Senegalese outfit has one point and now have to beat Pune FC by at least two goals to make the semis.

The five-time Senegal Premier League and six-time Senegal FA Cup champions, AS Douanes failed to convert in goalmouth action, even as their tall players impressed with clinical passes and headers in mid-field.

The match might have failed to yield a result, but it was full of incidents, referee Minangshu Bhattacharya showing as many as eight yellow cards -- six of them to Air India.

Mohammedan S.C::Nasim Akhtar,Peter Odafe,Farooq Haidar(Bijoy Das),Amrit Pal Singh ,Dipendu Biswas(Nilendra Dewan),Anupam Sarkar,Sovon Chakrabarty,Jyothi Kumar, Eduardo Escober, Joeeb Hassan ,Babin Biswas(Lalchwulwma).


TFA hold Chirag United in IFA shield First match

01.09.2009 : Ratul Chatterjee, Kolkata : The first match of Group A between Chirag United and TATA Football Academy got underway this late afternoon at the Mohun Bagan AC Ground in the IFA Shield, 2009 which unceremoniously ended in a tie with goal a piece from each side.The match started with the much hyped team of Chirag United being the favourites against the underdogs TFA but soon it became even-stevens for the sparse crowd watching.

Josimar, the highy anticipated striker for Chirag could’nt display even half the performance for which he was hyped.The game saw him miss a host of chances throughout the match including a penalty.The opening few minutes saw both sides trying to dominate the game possession wise but failed to convert the created chances.The game entered into a phase of cagy midfield battle as TFA looked to make it difficult for Chirag in the midfield.

Chirag playing with a 4-3-3 could’nt break the TFA defence early on as Jayanta Sen and Lalkamal in the centre failed to find Josimar,the much hyped target man for Chirag. Josimar was well taken care of by the TFA defenders and his runs towards goal proved futile in most cases.The game was played in the midfield until an opening from the midfield saw Josimar through who was brought down in the box as the referee pointed to the spot. The striker who decided to take the penalty himself was denied by a brilliant save from Ishan debnath diving towards his left as the match remained at stalemate after that till halftime. TFA did’nt create as many chances as their attack fizzled out in the midfield with Robin Singh their target man having nothing to do than just to loiter around.

The 49th minutes of second half saw TFA taking the match by the scruff of its neck.Their skipper Subodh Kumar, getting into the act as they earned a freekick near the box and the skipper slaughted the ball home brilliantly with a terrific bend (1 - 0 ) . The TFA skipper Subodh Kumar then proved to be the standout player for not only TFA but also for the second half of the match. His midfield orchestration and passing was one to watch out for. His presence of mind, sense of positioning was worth applauding as he justified the skippers role by leading from the front and tearing opponent’s defenses apart with precision passing and long balls.

Chirag however did’nt take much to equalize as a defensive lapse saw Malswama Tulunga find space to get through and slaught home an aerial ball which was misjudged by the TFA defenders ( 1 - 1 ) in 80th minutes. Chirag went on to create a host of chances but failed to convert a single one with poor finishing from the players.

Parminder Singh coming in for Lal kamal failed to create anything with Josimar missing a gifted opportunity yet again from a defensive lapse.The match ended with no player being booked but also no side proving to be better in scoring more than the opposition as Chirag failed to convert chances while TFA creating very few.Subrata Bhattacharya will have much worrying to do with his side’s finishing abilities as they will next take on East Bengal,a favorite for the competition.

CHIRAG: Sandip Nandy, Manas Das, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Jayanta Sen, Joshimear, Gouranga Bisawas, Malswamma Tulunga, Lalkamal Bhowmick, Safar Sardar, Du, Denson Devdas.

TFA: Isan Debnath, Raju Gaekwad,Jagdeep Singh, Jagannath Sana, Robin Singh, Jagtaar singh, Md. Mustakeen, Hardeep Singh, Gurjinder singh, Hanghal.

In the other match of the day at Khardah Stadium defending Champions Mahindra United defeat Camellia George Telegraph 2 - 0. The First half was goalless. In 2nd half Devid Booth's boys scored two goals. Ex player of Peerless S.C and Chirag United Nigerian Muritala Ali and Mohammed Rafi scored for the winner.

Mohammedan S.C and Air India both win their first match

30.08.2009 ::Good start by Mohammedan Sporting in the historical 114th edition of IFA shield today.In the opening match of this years Tournament at Mohun Bagan Ground,Kolkata, they beat newly promoted I-League team Shillong Lajong F.C by 1 - 0.

As this was not a high profile match, yet Lajong played well in their first time in the Football Capital of India - Kolkata.Mohammedan's newly included Brazilian Striker Eduardo Escober played a good game for his new team.He was the maker of Mohammedan's only goal in the match.

In 14th minutes of the match Eduardo got a ball from half line and beat two defenders of Lajong and entered into the penalty Box,experienced Striker of Mohammedan Dipendu Biswas scored the goal from his final measured pass.

In 2nd half Mohammedan got a penalty but Brazilian Eduardo missed the target.Match ended 1-0.

Mohammedan S.C::Nasim Akhtar,Peter Odafe,Farooq Haidar,Satyajit Bose, Dipendu Biswas,Anupam Sarkar,Sovon Chakrabarty,Jyothi Kumar, Eduardo Escober, Joeeb Hassan ,Babin Biswas.

Shillong Lajong F.C:Gumphe Rime, Ibor Khonjee,Marlanki Suiting,Weilad Passah, Samson Ramengmawia,Boithang Hoakip,Bidemi Daniel,Micheal Bassey, Rohming Thanga,Rojit Singh,Kyrshan Lyngshing.

On the other match of the day Air India beat newly promoted in I-League Pune F.C 2 - 1. The scorers for Air India were N.D. Opara and Ravinder Singh.Izumi Arata recuced the margin by scoring a goal for his team Pune F.C.


GROUPS, TABLE, FIXTURES and RESULTS


GROUP-A M WDL GFGAGDPNT
Chirag United2 110 53+24
TFA2 110 42+24
East Bengal 2 002 37-40

GROUP - B M WDL GFGAGDPNT
Churchill Brothers2 110 31+24
Mohammedan SC 2 11021+14
Shillong Lajong F.C2 002 02-20

GROUP - C M WDL GFGAGDPNT
Mohun Bagan 2 110 51+44
Mahindra United2 110 31+24
George Telegrapgh 2 002 06-60

GROUP-D M WDL GFGAGDPNT
Air India 2 110 21+14
Pune F.C2 101 32-14
AS Doune (Senegal)2 011 02-21

FIXTURES and RESULTS

GROUP LEAGUE ( Kick-Off 3.00 PM )

30.08 : Mohammedan S.C 1 - 0 Shillong Lajong F.C
MSC: Dipendu Biswas 14'

30.08 : Air India 2 - 1 Pune F.C
AI : N.D. Opara , Ravinder Singh
PFC : Arata Izumi

01.09 : Chirag United 1 - 1 TFA
CHI: Tulunga 80' ::: TFA: Subodh Kumar 49'

01.09 : George Telegph 0 - 2 Mahindra Utd
MU: Muritala Ali, Mohammed Rafi

02.09 : Md. S.C 1 - 1 Churchill Bros
MSC: Dipendu Biswas 30' :: CB: R.Vasum 26'

02.09 : AS Dounaes (Senegal) 0 - 0 Air India

03.09 : East Bengal 1-3 TFA
TFA:Jagtar Singh 62',Irfan Khan 89',Robin Singh 90'
KEB: Rahim Nabi 40'

04.09 : Mohun Bagan 4 - 0 George Tele
MMB : Chidi Edeh 3', 39', James Singh 36',Subho kumar 89'

04.09 : Churchill Bros. 2 - 0 Lajong F.C
CB:Khantang Paite, Odafa Okolie 85'(Pen)

05.09 : AS Dounaes (Senegal) 0 - 2 Pune F.C
PFC: Izumi Arata, Jeje Lalpekhlua

05.09 : East Bengal 2 - 4 Chirag United
CHI : M.Tulunga 7', 75', Parveen Kumar 18', Joshimar 90'+1'
KEB : Riston Rodrigues 21', Subhash Singh 41'

06.09 : Mohun Bagan 1 - 1 Mahindra Utd
MMB: Snehasish Chakrabarty 24' :: MU : S.Mijin 46'

SEMI FINAL ( KICK - OFF : 3.05 PM )

08.09 : 1st Semi : Churchill Bros. 1 - 1, 4 - 2 (Pen) Air India
AI : Rowilson Rodriges 13'(Self):: CB:R.Vasum 77'

09.09 : 2nd Semi :Chirag United 0 - 0, 4 - 5 M.Mohun Bagan (YBK)

12.09.209 (FINAL ) :Mohun Bagan 0 - 2 Churchill Brothers
CB : R.Vasum 41', Odafa Okolie 45'

114th IFA Shield Teams Profile

114th THE IFA SHIELD - BRIEF

29.08.2009 :: Arunava Nag ::The historical 114th IFA shield will start from tomorrow. The first match will be held at Mohun Bagan Ground from 2.45 PM between Kolkata Team Mohammedan S.C and Newly promoted I-League team from Meghalaya, Shillong lajong F.C and another match will take place at Howrah Stadium between two Maharashtra Teams Air India and Pune F.C. The 12 Teams short profile of this years IFA Shild.

The Teams in the IFA Shield 2009

Group A :- K.F East Bengal, Chirag United, TFA

Kingfisher East Bengal :: Having a hard physical training in the pre-season camp at Puri, the players are having great physical condition. They went to Myanmar for friendly matches. There they played four games out of which they won 2, and lost and draw 1 match each. The goal scorers were Sebastian, Edmilson, Khabra and Bekhokhei. They finished at 6th position in the previous I-League. Their coach, Subhas Bhowmik said that he is satisfied with the performance of his team. The kind of practice they are having the fans expect hem to do well in the IFA Shield.



TEAMS - KF East Bengal

Goalkeepers : Abhra Mondal, Arup Debnath, Avijit Ghosh, Priyant Kumar Singh (U-19)

Defenders: Wasim Feroze, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Govin Singh, Saheb Ali Gharami, Syed Rahim Nabi (Captain), Nirmal Chhetri, Saikat Saha Roy (U-19), Poibang Poshna, Suman De, Saumik Dey (Vice-Captain), K. Jibon Singh

Midfielders : Beokhokhei Singh, Harmanjyot Singh Khabra (Sporting Clube de Goa), Sanju Pradhan, Mehtab Hossain,Chhangte Malswamkima, Ramez Dayoub (Lebanon, Asia), Sayantan Das Roy, Riston Rodrigues, P. Renedy Singh, Goutam Kujur, Mumtaz Akhtar, Alvito D?Counha, Jan Berger (Czech Republic),

Forwards : Edmilson Marques Pardal (Brazil), Omar Sebastian Monesterolo (Argentina),M.Subhash Singh (AIR INDIA), Yusif Yakubu (Ghana),

Coach: Subhash Bhowmick

Chirag United : – Chirag United is recent club established in the year of 1995. Till now they have progressed well in the world of Indian Football. This year they have players like Lalom Puia, Lalkamal Bhowmick, Jayanta Sen and formal goalkeeper of the Indian football squad, Sandip Nandy. Moreover they have players like Kartik Kisku who has shown his quality in the Santosh Trophy. Last year they were just avoided relegation only by few points. Having such skillful and experienced player and a pre-season camp in Kalyani under Subrata Chakrabarty they will try their level best to perform well in the IFA Shield.



TEAMS - Chirag United

Goalkeepers :Somnath Khara, Sandip Nandy (Mahindra United), Gopal Das (Calcutta Port Trust)

Defenders : Kingshuk Debnath , Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (JCT), Rahul Kumar (Mohun Bagan ), Sukhen Dey, Manas Das (Mahindra United), Arnab Mondal, Eduardo Chacon Coelho Lacerda (Salgaocar SC), Safar Sardar (George Telegraph SC, Calcutta),Dulal Biswas, R. Dhanarajan, Narugopal Hait , Avishek Aich (Hindustan FC, Delhi)

Midfielders : Shylo Malswama Tulunga (Mohun Bagan AC), Soumik Chakraborty, Basudeb Mondal (Stay), Parminder Singh (Indian National FC, Delhi), Lal Kamal Bhowmick (Mohun Bagan ), Jayanta Sen (East Bengal Club) , Denson Devadas, Hardip Singh Saini, Lalmalswama Hmar, Gouranga Biswas (Air India),Anjan Dey, Bengkok Nameirakpam (Indian Bank)

Forwards : Josimar da Silva Martins (National AC, Brazil), Shankar Oraon, Parveen Kumar (East Bengal Club), P.C.Lalampuia (Mohun Bagan)

Under-19 : Souvik Ghosh, Prasenjit Chakraborty, Bibhas Das, Ram Malik, Prasenjit Chowdhury, Abul Barkat Ali Azam

Coach: Subrata Bhattacharyya

Tata football Academy :– This team is basically an academy and thus contains young,progressing and more or less skillful players. Having won the Pradyut Trophy their confidence is quite high.



TEAMS - TFA

Ishan Debnath, Jagdeep Singh, Raju Gaekwad, Hardeep Singh, Gurjinder Kumar, Subodh Kumar, Jagannath Sana, Alwyn George, S.Siam Hanghal, Robin Singh, Jagtaar singh, Ravi Kumar, Simrajeet Singh, Ravinder Singh, P.Deepak, Anil Hansdah, Chingkhei Meiti, Irfan Khan, Dipankar Goldar.

Coach : Bijoy Kumar

Group B:- Mohammedan S.C, Churchill Brothers,Sillong Lajong F.C

Mohammedan Sporting Club : – This club has a great history. They were relegated to 2nd Division in the I-League in the previous year. This year they have skillful and experienced players like Dipendu Biswas, Sashti Dulley, Dipankar Roy and Neseem Akhtar. Having won one of the local tournaments this year the level of their self-confidence is quite high. They are hoped to come-back forcibly and provide a good result.



TEAMS - Mohammedan S.C

Goalkeepers:Naseem Akhtar ,Tharangachan Tungshang,Manash Barua,Gaurav Ganguly

Defenders: Rajib Ghosh, Peter Odafe (Mohun Bagan),Anupam Sarkar (East Bengal), Mir Faroq Haider, Asto Karar, Bijoy Das, Madhab Das, Eheteasam Bucks , Suman Bose (U-19 Mohun Bagan),Md. Sakib, Pintu Saha,

Midfielders:Dipankar Roy(East Bengal), Satyajit Bose,Sasthi Dulay (Chirag Utd),Rajib Sukla (Mumbai F.C), A.Jyothi Kumar, Sovan Chakrabarty, Md.Shaid, Zoheb Hossan, Lalchulawama,Chandi Das, Amrit Pal Singh, Kamal Rawat,

Forwards: Kartik Koi, Goutam Thakur, Dipendu Biswas (George Telegph), Nilendra Dewan (Peerless), Zamir Ali Mondol (Air India), Bapi Chowdhury u-19, Eduardo Escober(JCT), Babin Biswas (Peerless S.C ),Sanjoy Parte,

Coach: Sabbir Ali

Churchill Brothers :- This is one of the clubs in India with none of the conditions stated by the AFC. They neither have their own ground nor marketing manager nor assistant coach and nor a bank account. This means their not professional. Even with their unprofessional systems they own the I-League last year. Thus their confidence is high than any other clubs. Having some skillful foreign players like Odafa Okolie, who was the top goal scorer in year of 2007-2008 and in 2008-2009. They are expected to perform well as they performed in the last year.



TEAMS - Churchill Borthers

Vinay Singh, Arindam Bhattcharya, Lalit Thapa, Thokchom Naoba Singh, Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, L. Dhanachandra Singh, Warundeep Singh, Villroy D'Cruz, Rowilson Rodrigues, Ashley Fernandes, Robert Lalthalma, Reisangmi Vasum, Ogba Kalu Nnanna, Khanthang Paite, Odafe Onyeka Okolie, Felix Chimaokwu, Jaison Vales, Thangjam Saran Singh,S. Naveen Kumar (Mohun Bagan AC), Nacimento Silveira (Dempo SC), Vanlal Rova (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Durga Boro (Oil India Limited, Duliajan), Srinivasa Murthy G.S. (BEL SC, Bangalore)

Coach : Carlos Pereira da Silva

Shillong Lajong F.C : - They just clinched promotion in the I-League the last year and is a unknown tam to all. How ever their coach Stuart said that it is only the beginning of the club. They will try their best to do well and create a corner for themselves in the heart the Indian football lovers. But there still remain some questions about their performance as they are unknown to most of the Indians.



TEAMS - Lajong F.C

Aibor Khongjee (captain), Marlanki Suiting, Romeo Sukhlein, Birendra Thapa, Roland Pyngrope, Kyrshan Lyngshing, Niwan-O-Gatphoh, Weilad Passah and Thrangki Laloo (all Meghalaya), Samson Ramengmawia, Lalthuamawia, Rohming Thanga, Zohmingliana, Recy K. Lalremmawia, Ronald Zothanzama, Lalruatfela and Laldingliana Khiangte (all Mizoram), Markus Basumatary (Assam), Gumpe Rime (Arunachal Pradesh), Seikhohao Tubai, Boithang Hoakip, Khwairakpam Rojit Singh, Thanggoulal Kipgen and Pravin Kumar (all Manipur), James Gbillee, Micheal Bassey and Daniel Bidemi.

Coach : Stanley Rozario

Group C:- M.Mohun Bagan, C.George Telegraph, Mahindra United

McDowell Mohun Bagan : – Mohun Bagan is a famous club in India. The national club secured the second position in the league table in the I-league and won three major trophies last year. Their fans will expect them to win all the trophies this year. This year they have also signed talented players like Snehasish Chakrabarty and Tomba Singh from East Bengal. But in the IFA Shield player like Barreto, Ishphak, Manju are unavailable due to injury. But the fans believe that they will do well.



TEAMS - M.Mohun Bagan

Goalkeepers: Sangram Mukherjee, Shilton Paul, Proloy Dutta (Salgaocar F.C), Chirodeep Chatterjee

Defence:Biswajit Saha(C.George Telegraph),Deepak Mondol,Karan Atwal, Habibur Rahaman Mondol, Anadavasan,Rakesh Masih, N.Mohonraj,Sk Azim(Mohammedan S.C),Rino Anto,

Midfielders:Zenius Zenith(churchill Brothers),Subhojit Mazumdar(U-19),Subho Kumar(C.George Telegraph),Santa Kumar(Pune F.C),Sakharam Mandi(Railway F.C),Lalramluaha Lukram James Singh,Manish Mathran(Indian National F.C),Marcos Pereira(F),Mickey Fernandez(Sporting Goa)

Striker: Branco Cordozo, Chidi Edeh (JCT- F),Suraj Mondol(Mohammedan S.C),Barreto (F),Kalia Kulothungan (Mumbai F.C), Isfaq Ahmed, Kartick Kisku.

Coach: Karim Benchirifa

Camellia George Telegraph : – Camellia George Telegraph is a team with young players but skillful. Last year they were successful in creating a corner for themselves in the hearts of football lovers. This year also they are expected to perform well and win trophies.



TEAMS - C.George Telegraph

Goalkeepers : :Swarup Das, Sibram Dey (Port Trust),Krisan Ghosh, Tanmoy Karmakar

Defenders:: Souvik Guha, Debkumar Sasmal, Mozaffar Rahaman, Deepak Singh, Hira Roy, Amit Kundu, Pintu Manna, Paban Das,Arijit Basak, Babu Mondol, Durga Oraw

Midfielders : :Achyanta Saha (Chirag United), Pradip Roy,N,. G.Beirona,Sougata Mazumdar, Zordin Lama, Tonmoy paul ,Gopal Debhnath

Forward :Swapan Mandi, Niten Ghosh, Satish Kumar,Pintu Prasad, Mithun Saha, Samar Dev, Souvik Biswas, Rajdeep Nandy,Souvik Mondol

Coach : Raghu Nandi

Mahindra United : – The Maharastran team secured fourth position in last year in the I-League. Having players like Steven Dias and N.D Pradeep who has shown their talents in the Nehru Cup, they are expected to perform well this year. Though they don’t have much fan following they are one of the clubs with talented players.



TEAMS - Mahindra United

Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Monotosh Ghosh, Sushanth Mathew, Noel Fernandes, Lamine Tamba, Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Nisthar Kali Alaudeen, Justine Stephen, Loukik Jadhav, Steven Benedic Dias, Bhola Prasad, Sukhwinder Singh, Krishnan Nair Ajayan, M. Mohammed Rafi, Paresh Shivalkar, Surajit Bose, Sushil Kumar Singh, Khangembam Thoi Singh Harshad Meher, Nikhil D'Souza, Ajit Bhoir, Royston D'Souza, Shilton D'Silva, Varin Mehta ( Under-19), Debabrata Roy & Subair Muritala Ali (Chirag United), Kutty Aseem (Mumbai FC), Denzil Franco (Salgaocar SC), Subhodeep Mukherjee (Mohammedan AC)

Group D:- Pune F.C, Air India, AS Doune(Senegal)

AS Doune(Senegal) :- This foreign club is expected to fascinate the Indian football lovers with their modified tactics and should make the AIFF realize the need for good infrastructure.



TEAMS - AS Doune

Coming soon....

Air India : Air India is one of the clubs who just avoided relegation in the last year. However they are not at all a week team rather than they are a team with young players skillful. They will try their best to perform well under the instructions their coach, Bimal Ghosh.



TEAMS - Air India

Arnab Das Sharma (East Bengal),Haobijam Napoleon Singh, Santosh Koli, Uttam Leishangthem Singh, Syed Farid, Amulya Mondal, Ravinder Singh, Vijith Shetty, Hringsolal Thomte, Soccor Velho, Kumar Samson Singh, T Narender Meetei, Kailash Patel, S. James Singh & Henry Gangte & Tapan Maity (Mohun Bagan AC),Khelemba Singh ( East Bengal Club), Harpreet Singh (Mahindra United), Shambhu Mistry (Pune FC),Dada Nabeel (HAL), N.D. Opara (Indian National FC, Delhi), Reuben D'Souza (Western Railway, Mumbai), Surjit Singh (Harbhajan SC, Punjab), Myanmar Loy (SAI East, Calcutta), Rabindra Ghosh, Praneel Mendon.

Coach : Bimal Ghosh

Pune FC – This is an unknown club for the Indian football lovers as they have only clinched promotion in the I-League. They have bought Subrata Pal, the Indian national squad goalkeeper. Under the instructions of their coach Derrick Pereira they are hoped to do well.



TEAMS - Pune F.C

Narshiman Balaji, Othallo Tabia, Caitano Costa, K. Rahul, Gurjinder Singh, Chika Wali, Lal Rozama, Asim Hassan, Shanmugam Venkatesh, J. Prasad, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Gunashekar Vignesh, Sandesh Gadkare,Djidjia Douhou Pierre, Arata Izumi, Sunil Kumar (all Mahindra United), Selwyn Fernandes, Kutty Anees, Sampath Kumar Kuttymani (all Mumbai FC), Rollingson Hungyo, Suresh Tonsin Anal (both NISA, Manipur), Akash Kamble, Raviraj Kurne (both Pune FC Under-19), Godwin Diego Franco (Sporting Clube de Goa), Subrata Pal (East Bengal Club), Gaurav Sharma (JCT), Pappu (Garhwal Heroes, Delhi), S. Sanju Kumar (Rail Wheel Factory, Bangalore), M. Suji Kumar (Southern Blues FC, Bangalore), A. Deepan (Postal Department, Bangalore), Johny Khamrang (Youngmen SC, Delhi), Manoj T.M. (Sacret Heart Club, Kerala), Soram Poirei Anganba (Thangmeiband Athletic Union, Manipur), Harpreet Singh (Chandigarh Football Academy), K. Vigneshwaran (Challangers Union, Tamil Nadu)