Gameweek 21 saw Mohun Bagan tighten their grip on the Hero I-League by opening up a 2-point lead at the top with a 2-0 victory over Sporting Clube de Goa as Bengaluru FC slipped to a 1-1 draw against Dempo. Pune FC beat Shillong Lajong 1-0 in Guwahati while a 5-1 rout by Salgaocar over bottom-placed club Kalyan Bharat FC makes them favourites to go down with one game to play. A 2-0 win by East Bengal over Royal Wahingdoh meant that a draw in the final match of the season would be good enough for the former to leapfrog latter in the table and claim third spot. A brace from East Bengal’s Dudu Omagbemi (FC Pune City) meant that Royal Wahingdoh would end their season with a defeat. The first goal came in the second minute of injury time at the end of the first half when the I-League’s top scorer Ranti Martins (FC Goa) spotted a late run by Dudu before playing him through for him to break the deadlock in composed and clinical fashion. Dudu then doubled the Red and Gold Brigade’s advantage with 66 minutes on the clock when Mehtab Hosssain (Kerala Blasters) found him in space with a delightful through ball that saw him score on the second attempt after his initial shot was parried by the goalkeeper. The race for Hero I-League title will end this weekend, as second placed Bengaluru FC host table toppers Mohun Bagan on Sunday in a do or die encounter. Mohun Bagan simply need to avoid defeat to be crowned champions. Bengaluru FC on the other hand can afford nothing short of a victory if they are to steal the title from the Kolkata giants. A fascinating end to the Hero I-League campaign awaits!
