While there is no imminent threat to the AFC Asian Cup participation by the senior men's team in late 2023 or early 2024, some of the games slated for clubs and age-group national teams in the next few months could well be a tricky terrain.
A listless Mohun Bagan were saved by former Trinidad and Tobago World Cupper Cornell Glen as they managed to hold arch-rivals East Bengal to a 1-1 draw in the much-anticipated Kolkata derby of the I-League.
A video uploaded on ATK Mohun Bagan's Instagram page, which has since been deleted, captured the 28-year-old defender as saying, "Aurato ke saath match khel aaya hoon, aurato ke saath" (I have played a match with women, with women), as he made his way back to the dressing room, at Vasco in Goa, on Saturday.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (9th minute), Kean Lewis (74th) and Bikramjit Singh (80th) scored for Mohun Bagan while Seminlen Doungel (52nd) found the target for Bengaluru FC in the Group E match.
Legendary former India footballer and celebrated coach Subhas Bhowmick died after prolonged illness in the wee hours of Saturday, according to family sources.
Bagan adopted a completely different approach from the first leg. They had 16 shots in the first half but just three on target. It took them just three minutes to sound a warning.
Krishna gave early warnings after a Kauko through ball sent him clear but the veteran Fiji striker, back in the starting XI after an injury layoff, found the post in his way.
Jeje Lalpekhula scored a hat-trick as a rampaging Mohun Bagan routed Shillong Lajong 5-0 in their home leg semifinal of the Federation Cup football tournament at the Vidyasagar Krirnagan in Barasat, West Bengal, on Sunday.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday got a former player as its first president in its 85-year history with Kalyan Chaubey beating the legendary Bhaichung Bhutia in the election for the top post.
Nerijust Valskis struck twice as Chennaiyin FC hammered Jamshedpur FC 4-1 in an Indian Super League match in Chennai on Thursday to boost its chances of making it to the play-offs.
Sunil Chhetri, who will complete 15 years in international football on June 12, is India's highest goal-scorer with 72 strikes from 115 matches. He is the second highest goal-scorer in international football in the world among active players behind Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine maestro Lionel Messi.
The preliminary and play-off matches will be held in April.
Despite losing the top spot to Mumbai, ATK Mohun Bagan will still harbour hopes of salvaging their season with a second successive Hero ISL title.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Top Indian side Mohun Bagan played out a 1-1 draw against Yangon United in their away match to put themselves on the verge of booking a historic knockout berth in the AFC Cup football tournament in Yangon on Wednesday.
Defending champions Bengaluru FC registered a narrow 1-0 win over ATK in the first leg of their Hero Indian Super League semi-final clash at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Mohun Bagan with 39 points from 16 matches enjoy a point difference which is insurmountable by any other team even if all other matches had been played and concluded as a normal course of action
According to the cause list of August 20 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is scheduled to hear on Tuesday.
Odafa Okolie struck a hat-trick to power Mohun Bagan to a 3-1 win over Sporting Clube de Goa in a fourth round I-League clash in Kolkata on Sunday.
Earlier in the 16th minute, Ashutosh Mehta showed excellent skills and tried to create a chance from the right flank. CFC defenders intercepted the attack before he could hand the ball over to Manvir Singh.
Dhoni started training with his state team Jharkhand from Thursday with an eye on IPL comeback for Chennai Super Kings.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Mohun Bagan batsman Arindam Ghosh, who represents Railways in the Ranji Trophy, on Monday became the first player to score a century in a pink ball match in India in the Cricket Association of Bengal's four-day Super League final between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Though a bid cannot be expected from either of the two Kolkata giants just because the document has been taken up for consideration, this is a sign that both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are easing their stance against the IMG-Reliance owned league.
LSG do not have to fret so much about the mathematical scenarios as a win would be enough for them to seal their back-to-back playoff berth.
Stimac is also grappling with injuries to few of his key players. Defensive midfielder Jeakson Singh, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder early last month, was named among the 50 probables but he is uncertain to be in the final 26.
India striker Jeje Lelpekhlua scored twice as Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan thrashed Aizwal FC 5-0 in the summit clash to clinch the Federation Cup football tournament title for a record-extending 14 times in Guwahati on Saturday.
The result also meant Khalid Jamil is still unbeaten in the competition and extended NorthEast's winning run to ten games.
PK Banerjee was captain of the Indian team that last played the Olympics in Rome 1960. He retired as a player in 1967 after being laid low by recurring injuries. But then went on accumulate a staggering 54 trophies as a coach.
Indian centre-back Sandesh Jhingan feels he will be "tested to the limit" while enhancing his game outside his comfort zone at Croatian league Prva HNL.
Mohun Bagan have requested the state government to put up a three-tier security arrangement for their return leg of the Kolkata derby against East Bengal on February 9, to avoid a December 9 like incident.
India coach Igor Stimac wants his players to stay compact and not concede set pieces to Australia
Mohun Bagan's hopes of retaining the I-League title virtually went up in smokes after they were held to a 3-3 draw by DSK Shivajians in an enthralling I-League contest.
The Blues will be back in action on August 18 when they take on ATK Mohun Bagan in their opening group stage clash, at the same venue.
It was a second successive draw by the Csaba Laszlo-led side as they once again squandered plenty of chances to settle in the seventh place with 10 points from eight matches.
Mohun Bagan, East Bengal blast AIFF after Goan clubs quit I-League
'Indian football needs to work together and move in the same direction.' 'Only then will the competition in India improve, and the Indian national team will improve.'
One of the longest-serving foreigners in the country, Jose Ramirez Barreto led Mohun Bagan to a 2-0 win over Pune FC in their last I-League fixture to bid an emotional farewell to the club which he represented 398 times from his association since 1999-2000 season.
'After one week, I was told by the head coach of Sporting Lisbon 'you are not good enough, get lost to B team'
NorthEast United FC advanced to the quarterfinals of the Durand Cup football tournament after a convincing 3-1 victory over Downtown Heroes in Guwahati on Sunday.
