Bagan held by FC Kochin

Kolkata:

Title aspirants Mohun Bagan's campaign suffered a jolt as they were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Kochin while Tata Football Academy carved out a creditable 2-1 win over Bhratri Sangha in their pre-quarter final league matches of the IFA Shield Football tournament today. Bagan had themselves to blame for the setback as they muffed a penalty and a few other scoring opportunities against the Kerala outfit in a fast-paced group-B encounter at the Salt Lake stadium here. The hard-working Niaz Rahman put FC Kochin in the lead early in the contest but star Brazilian recruit Jose Ramirez Barreto restored honour in the second session much to the relief of the Bagan supporters. Leaving behind their inaugural match drubbing from fancied Palmeiras Club of Brazil, a determined TFA bounced back into contention for a quarterfinal berth with a stunning 2-1 victory over Bhratri Sangha in a group-D match. The young TFA players, who suffered a humiliating 0-4 defeat against Palmeiras in their opening match, put up a far more inspired show to tame Bhratri who could not find their bearing right through the contest. Talented striker Syed Rahim Nabi and fellow striker Krishna Tudu struck the goals for TFA while medio Palash Karmakar reduced the margin for Bhratri. (PTI)