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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

'Auf Wiedersehen' football for Kahn!

Oliver Kahn, the legendary German Goalkeeper and former number 1 goalkeeper of the world, bid professional football a fitting good bye today as he played his last match against the oldest Club of Asia and the National Club of India, Mohun Bagan AC witnessed by an overwhelming crowd of 1,20,000 enthusiasts.
Kahn's presence was enjoyed till the 55th minute of the match when he was replaced by the second keeper. As he left the field the 1,20,000 crowd gave him a standing obation as the stadium air errupted.
During the half time of the match, Kahn was felicitated by AIFF as he was handed over the trophy specially designed for the German legend worth Rs. 35 lacs and the Mohun Bagan President handed over a trophy and presented Kahn with a Lifetime membership of Mohun Bagan AC.
The match was however something more than just a friendly affair as both teams did not give away one inch to the opposition on and of the ball. The Bayern - Bagan youngsters often got involved in heated tussles and one such tussle saw Branco Cardozo(Bagan striker) and one of the Bayern Munich players sent off.
Bayern however undoubtedly the superior team as Ze Roberto and Van Bomwel controlled the midfield but Bagan certainly missed the invaluable services of Barreto and Bhaichung and other Indian internationals, Deepkak Mondal, Manju, Mohunraj, and Nigerian defender Peter Odafe, as Lalam was the only man upfront before being replaced by Branco in the second half. The other players consisted mainly of the TFA players who has signed for Bagan this season. Seriously speaking, the Bayern Players were not tested against the 1st team of Mohun Bagan, rather the 3rd team of Bagan played, as AIFF didnot release any of the Mohun Bagan players for the match from the National Camp. And given situaition, the U-19s of TFA performed much ahead of their class! Bayern scored twice in the first half, but it was Bagan who came close to scoring the earliest off a corner. A young Bagan midfielder, Jr. James got a free punch in front of goal from a corner but missed the target as Kahn stood rooted. Kahn was not tested very much but twice he had to collect two sure goal bound shots one off Lalawmpuia dn the other from Isfaq. On the other hand the Bagan custodian was tested on a number of occasions and he did pull out a couple of extra-ordinary saves which surely denied Bayern chances of extending their lead. The first goal was scored off a defensive lapse while the second was scored from a clean free kick taken by the Brazilian international- Ze Roberto from outside the penalty box. In the second half Bayern scored another one from a scuffle and Bayern stepped on the gas. But Bagan defense stood the test and certainly blocked a number of Bagan advances into the Bagan box. Sangram was later replaced by Chiradeep, the new TFA keeper. During the end of the match, Lalakamal, the only Indian to had scored against Bayern Munich in the past (IFA Shield, Bayern Munich Junior team) came the closest for Bagan as his long ranger kissed the bar and went out of play.
Later at the Press Conference, the Bayern coach applauded the effort put up by Bagan and certified that the Bagan team(i.e. the Second team of Mohun Bagan) is much better than the Indonesia's International team. Bayern Munich: Kahn (Rensing 55) – Schlottner, Breno, Ottl, Lell – Ze Roberto (Kuru 77), Van Bommel, Bopp (Simari 70), Sosa (Contento 46), Kroos (Pizarro 81) – Schlaudraff
Read this News as released by the Bayern Munich Official Webiste: Modern great Kahn bids adieu in Kolkata

Monday, May 26, 2008

Welcome Kahn!

The trophy that will be presented to goalkeeper Oliver Kahn during Bayern Munich’s exhibition match against Mohun Bagan in Calcutta on Tuesday. The ball, placed atop a gold plate on a glass stand, has 8,640 diamonds set in it.
Oliver Kahn has arrived and tomorrow he plays his last professional match against Mohun Bagan. the match is at 6.30 pm IST at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan and before the clash, the Bayern team is supposed to open Mohun Bagan’s souvenir shop at club grounds.

MOHUN BAGAN ATHLETIC CLUB-The National club of India

A Short History:

MOHUN BAGAN AC-The National club of India, the oldest Club in Asia,
was established on 15th August 1889 when India was up in arms against her collonial head, England.

Eversince its establishment the Club had been winning a lot of local leagues and cups but the moment of greatness that surpasses all came in the year 1911 when Mohun Bagan AC became the first Indian club/team to defeat the foreigners in their own game of football.

On 29th of July 1911 Mohun Bagan won the IFA shield beating East Yorkshire 2-1. Eversince there has been no stopping!

The club has won and keeps on winning many a laurel for the country! It has made our Nation Proud!

According to FIFA rankings, in Asia, Mohun Bagan is the 16th biggest team to have an avg. home crowd of 19,888. According to World standards, Mohun Bagan has been ranked of 127 much ahead of other big clubs like Udinese(Italy), Benfica(Portugal) and Fulham(England) to mention a few.

It is however,not an easy task to consolidate the history of a club which is more than 117 years old*...(read more...)

*For Further Info:Please visit The Offical site of MAC: History section please open in a New Window

Location: Kolkata Maidan
Colours:
Green and Maroon
Symbol: Sail Boat

Stadium: Mohun Bagan ground
Yuva Bharati Krirangan

MOHUN BAGAN AC- It's not just a club, it is an institution, a religion, a passion. LIVE IT...DIE FOR IT...

A Pictorial trip of the Mohun Bagan Ground!

Satellite Imagery of our Club Ground!*
*Open in a New Window please.
Images of Yuva Bharati Krirangan*
*Open in a New Window please.

Photos by: Soumyadeb Sinha
Photos by: Soumyadeb Sinha

Souvenirs

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