Abhishek Ganguly | TNN
Kolkata: Champions are champions, be it on a cricket or a soccer pitch!
Footballer Sourav Ganguly proved it at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday when he donned Mohammedan Sporting Club’s jersey No.99 against East Bengal in the second match of MSC’s Platinum Jubilee Cup.
Not only did he stay on the field for exactly an hour but Mohammedan Sporting’s best chance of the day was courtesy the former India captain — a brilliantly-executed side volley from just inside the box that forced rival custodian Naseem Akhtar into a diving save.
For the crowd at the stadium, used to see volleys balloon over the top, it was a treat to watch and they lapped up every bit of their favourite son’s footballing exploits.
Even East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan sounded impressed. “That was really a good shot. He is a good player,” Morgan said after the match.
And, if you think that was all he did on Friday, you are grossly mistaken.
Never did it seem that Sourav was out of place among 21 footballers though, by his own admission, he was playing after a long time.
The number of balls he laid-off for the strikers — especially Cristopher — made one thing quite clear that he was by no means making up the numbers for his team, as he had indicated in a lighter vein on Thursday.
He took a tumble while trying to snatch a ball from an East Bengal player even before he had a first touch of the ball. But, when he did in the fifth minute, the pass that rolled towards Cristopher was inch-perfect.
And those who thought had Sourav was taking this match lightly, had to see the frustration writ large on his face when Cristopher made a mess of the chance. Then came a delightful chip to free the left-winger which also went in vain.
The former Team India captain stayed in the thick of things all the time, even sprinting a good 25 yards to retrieve a ball from Sanju Pradhan who had snatched it away from him and falling back to aid the defence when the team was under pressure.
While many had thought that Sourav would not take the field after the break, he did and stayed on for 15 more minutes in which also he created a goal-scoring opportunity for the team.
He was replaced in the 60th minute by Chirag United’s Brazilian striker Joshimar as the crowd gave him a standing ovation..
Probably their only regret, including those of EB supporters, was that he could not find the back of the net which would have been the proverbial icing on the cake.
All in all, Sourav once again proved why he is such a revered figure. Even though his team lost 0-1 in the end, he was the winner!
This team list is certainly one for the keeps as not everyday one would find his name on the roster of a football team. “I liked it. It was also a test of my fitness,” was all that he had to say after the match.
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