Mohun Bagan down HAL

Twice champions Mohun Bagan scored once in each half to get the better of Hindustan Aeronautics 2-1 in a sixth Tata National Football League encounter at the Salt Lake stadium, in Kolkata, on Tuesday.

Bagan, who led the league standings after the completion of the first leg but then slipped to the seventh position following a string of dismal performances, now have 25 points, the same as Churchill. However, the Goans are still ahead on goal difference and have also played a match less.

Maintaining their supremacy for most part of the 90-minute game, Bagan went ahead half an hour into the first half as Renedy's angular header of a measured Basudeb Mandal cross from the right went into a corner of the net to the right of HAL goalkeeper Gumpe Rime.

Barreto, who, along with Nigerian Abdullatif Seriki, missed chances galore despite putting up a good show, finally found the mark in the 80th minute by nodding home between two HAL stoppers. R C Prakash had done the spadework from the right before feeding Barreto with a delectable centre.

As the game rolled into the final minutes, the Bagan players looked complacent and paid the price for a tardy display as Jimmy slotted home to make the scoreline 2-1.

HASC have 21 points from 14 matches.

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