Mohun Bagan team at the Hamad International Airport, Qatar.Image Source: Facebook
Internet Desk: After a hectic schedule from Kolkata Team Mohun Bagan have reached Maldives today to play the first leg of the AFC Cup 2017 Qualifiers against Club Valencia on 21st February.The Mariners had to undergo with delayed flights, initially approximately fifty minutes at the Kolkata Airport and then at the Doha Airport for about forty minutes before reaching their destination. The airport at Mali is on the heart of the ocean as the players had to reach out to their hotel by a boat.
The local temperature is very hot out there at Maldives and it will be a test of fitness for the Bagan players. The Green and Maroon brigade wanted to train tomorrow morning but the hosts promised to arrange their training by the afternoon. It will be a special moment for Mohun Bagan’s asistant coach Shankarlal Chakraborty as he would be managing his side for the first time in the international level. Head Coach Sanjoy Sen pulled out of this trip owing to some personal reasons and that has presented this special moment for the Bagan Assistant Coach, who himself is a fine tactician.
Maldives’ Club Valencia, who won a spot in the preliminary round qualifiers of the AFC Cup after winning the Maldives FA Cup last season, host I-League runners-up Mohun Bagan in the first of the two-legged play-off for an entry to the group stages. The Sunrisers downed Bhutan’s Thimphu City in the previous round. They last played in the group stages in 2009 and Hamdhaan Ibrahim will be a key player for them.
Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, lost out to Tampines Rovers in the round of 16 last year and will be looking to better that record. First up, they have to negotiate a tough tie against the side from Maldives, which will not be easy. The Mariners defeated Colombo FC in the previous round where Haitian winger Sony Norde and Scotsman Darryl Duffy were their trump cards. However, what shall concern them is the absence of Sony Norde, Pritam Kotal, Pronay Halder, Debjit Majumder and Jeje and also the fact that coach Sanjoy Sen hasn’t travelled due to personal reasons. Shankarlal Chakraborty has a challenging task on his hand for sure.
