Mohun Bagan hold resurgent Mumbai FC

Kolkata: A spirited Mohun Bagan rode on a C S Sabeeth second-half strike to hold Mumbai FC 1-1 in a round 13 I-League fixture at the Kalyani Stadium here on wednesday.

Having come here with a two-match winning run against Pune FC and East Bengal, the Mumbai outfit started out in a promising fashion drawing first blood with a Mohammad Rafique strike in the 10th minute. Mohun Bagan looked disoriented and short of ideas after their stunning 4-0 win against United SC for most part of the match, but before it was all over for them Kerala boy Sabeeth struck an 80th minute equaliser. The draw meant both the teams were locked on 15 points each after 13 matches. Mumbai FC took the lead when a Nicholas Rodriques corner was headed into the box by an alert Anwar Ali as Rafi unleashed a brilliant side volley from the edge. Mohun Bagan`s star in their big win against United SC Christopher Chizoba looked lacklustre alongside Odafa Okolie while Manish Bhargav was at his wasteful best. Mumbai FC, on the other hand, looked their aggressive best after the changeover but another goal eluded them with Ghanian strongman Yusif Yakubu missing back-to-back chances. Out of nowhere, Mohun Bagan returned to action with Sabeeth`s cool-headed display when he was set up by his Kerala teammate Denson Devadas to slot the ball home.