By IANS
Kolkata : Mohan Bagan beat a spirited Peerless 3-2 in a Calcutta Premier League (CPL) match here Tuesday.
Mohun Bagan got the better of the match but Peerless put up a strong resistance as the team, down by a brace till the 61st minute, bounced back and equalled the score before conceding another doubtful strike in the 85th minute.
For Bagan, Peter Siddique broke the deadlock in the 26th minute, heading a James Singh centre home from the goalmouth melee. The green-and-maroon brigade doubled the score in the 34th minute. Jose Barreto, after being tripped by Saheb Ali inside the box, placed in from the penalty.
T. Murithala, the lethal Nigerian striker, reduced the margin for Peerless in the 62nd minute.
Capitalising on Shilton Paul’s miscalculation, Murithala tapped in. Kartick Kisku doubled the lead in the 70th minute when he shot in a loose ball, coming down inside the box after a clash in the air between Murithala and Peter Odafa.
S. Venkatesh, the experienced midfielder, finally rescued Bagan from losing one point, punching in a James Singh floater from the right.
Peerless coach, former Indian international Mihir Bose however looked dejected when asked about his boys’ brave fight. He said: “The players have been extremely demoralised due to referee’s influenced supervision.
Bose remarked that Peerless, now on the fourth spot in the table after Tuesday’s defeat, is aiming for a position within the first four in the KPL this season to ensure a berth in the National League second qualifiers.
“But if referring continues in this unfair manner then I have doubts whether we can finish within the target,” he said.