Kolkata: Mohun Bagan failed to grab a win in the final game before their crucial AFC Champions League qualifier following a 1-1 draw with derby rivals East Bengal on Saturday.
Mohun Bagan, reigning champions of India’s I-League, will be looking to move one step closer to the 2016 Champions League group stage on Wednesday, when they meet Singapore’s Tampines Rovers in the first preliminary round of qualifying.
However, they were unable to ensure they enter that tie on the back of a morale-boosting win after being held by East Bengal in the 313th derby meeting between the two fierce rivals.
Following a goalless first half at the Salt Lake Stadium, it was East Bengal who took the lead three minutes after the hour mark, Ranti Martins latching onto Bikash Jairu’s clever lofted pass and sending a cultured volley into the bottom corner.
But in the 77th minute, Mohun Bagan equalised when Sony Norde’s freekick from the left found Cornell Glen, whose bullet header was too powerful for opposition keeper Rehenesh TP to keep out.
The draw saw India's defending champions briefly remain top of the table with seven points from three games, a position they lost on Sunday however when Bengaluru took top spot thanks to a 3-0 home win over Shillong Lajong.
In the event Mohun Bagan see off Tampines on Wednesday, they will still have to defeat China’s Shandong Luneng Taishan and then Australian outfit Adelaide United if they are to advance to the group stage of the Champions League.
Source: the-afc.com