Airmen defy the B force

Airmen thwart the Bhutia-Barreto combine, hold Bagan to 1-1 draw

MUMBAI: Air India, despite their limitations, have the tenacity and will power to raise their game against tough oppositions and in crunch situations.

Sunday was no different as the Mumbai side stone walled the rampaging Bhaichung Bhutia-led Mohun Bagan at the Cooperage. The result was a goalless draw but it still ensured a moral victory for the hosts.

Air India missed the services of Paresh Shivalkar and their midfield looked weak. But Michael Tayo rose to the challenge destructing the feeding line for the enemy camp’s two old war horses, Bhutia and Jose Barreto, wherever possible.

The man of the match was ably supported by Suleh Musah, who has been almost inconspicuous of his tall frame so far. But against Bhutia and Barreto, he stood tall snapping all aerial passes which was the preferred mode for the Kolkata outfit.

As coach Carlos Roberto Pereira surmised: “This is a hard ground and the aerial route is not what we are used to. Also, the absence of three big players — NS Manju, Douglas da Silva and Habibur Rehman — disturbed our combination.”

Still, Barreto and Bhutia were a handful and it took some extra diligence from Dhanchandra Singh, Uttam Singh and Vijith Shetty to stop them.

The sense of purpose was evident as Musah played on with a bleeding hand and Shetty hung on gamely with a fractured wrist. He even managed to effect a goal line save from the rare Barreto header.

With Bagan in full flow, Air India got its chances on the counter with Bashiru Abbas getting the easiest one. Sent into the clear with a defender to beat, he sidestepped to the right of custodian Sangram Mukherjee but lost control and by the time he could tap it in, two defenders came rushing to the rescue.