Dear colleagues,
Please find below: The preview report of Mohun Bagan’s match against Salgaocar SC in the Hero Federation Cup. An exclusive interview with Hero of the Hero I-League Sony Norde. *Also find attached two pictures:* *Mohun Bagan Players celebrate a goal against Salgaocar SC in their first round match.* *The Hero Federation Cup is our chance to win a Trophy this season, stresses Norde.* *More pictures from the first round match in Goa between the two Teams can be downloaded from * https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8jnef4r20xoukox/AAASTi6OkuFtCFiYY0SYbKLOa?dl=0 *The copyright of all pictures lie with AIFF. Please credit AIFF Media for the pictures used.* *AIFF Media will be mailing match report of #HeroFedCup matches later today.* For all updates of the Hero Federation Cup and all other news and exclusive pictures please follow our Official Twitter Handle @AIFFMedia at *https://twitter.com/AiffMedia* <https://twitter.com/AiffMedia> Also follow and like the Official Page of Indian Football Teams on Facebook at *https://www.facebook.com/TheIndianFootballTeam* <https://www.facebook.com/TheIndianFootballTeam> *For Media queries contact AIFF Media Manager Mr. Nilanjan Datta at +91-9873185150.* Regards, AIFF Media Team ========================================================== *#HEROFEDCUP #MBvSFC* *We will have to be at our best against Salgaocar, asserts Sen* *AIFF Media Team* *KOLKATA: *Mohun Bagan are all set to resume their pursuit of the Hero Federation Cup which has evaded them for a eight long years, when they take on Salgaocar FC at the Barasat Stadium in the 2nd leg of their clash tomorrow (May 05, 2016), the kick-off for which is at 7PM IST. The reverse fixture in Goa ended up in the Mariners' favour, with a late goal by Jeje Lalpekhlua giving them a 3-2 away win. While Jeje had opened the scoring in the very first minute, Salgaocar were in the driver's seat for the majority of the match with goals from Calvin Mbarga and Martin Scott giving them the advantage. However, Abhishek Das restored parity about fifteen minutes from time before the eventual winner in the 85th minute. Sanjoy Sen had reason to be pleased on the eve of the encounter as his talisman, Sony Norde had trained with the team in the morning and hinted that he might be available for selection. Cornell Glen meanwhile suffered a slight niggle during training and was scheduled to see a doctor. Speaking at the Official Pre-Match Press Conference, Mohun Bagan’s Head Coach Sanjoy Sen mentioned, "There will be a few changes to the side. Sony trained and he can play if necessary. Glen needs to show a doctor and then we can take a call on him” The midfield of Pronay Halder and Lenny Rodrigues would most likely be constant as Kinshuk Debnath and Luciano Sobrosa will remain at the back. Subash Singh might continue upfront with Jeje Lalpekhlua while Sony Norde will come into the side at the expense of Kean Lewis. Sen, though made it clear that they would look to keep a clean sheet going into the match. "Our first objective will be to not concede and then obviously we will look to win the game. We have always managed to score goals, that has never been the problem”, asserted Sen. He also said that they needed to take lessons from Aizawl FC trouncing Bengaluru FC away from home yesterday and believed that the Marines would need to play at their best to guard against a wounded Salgaocar. "Salgaocar are a goal behind and that means they will be all the more hungry to come back. So we have to be at our best," he stressed. The Greens though will curse themselves for conceding the late goal as they were in the supremacy for most of the time in Goa. Salgaocar’s Head Coach Mario Soares stated that his side have to be at the top of their game if they are to grab anything from the match” "Mohun Bagan are a very good team but we are here to win and we will give our very best to attain that objective," he opined. "Last time we were here we scored two. We also scored two against them at Goa. So only thing we need to ensure is that we have to be solid at the back and I am sure we can win this," remarked a confident Daryl Duffy. Gilbert Oliviera and Keenan Almeida will be out injured but Soares would look to deploy an almost identical team to the one in Goa. Daryl Duffy and Calvin Mbarga will lead the line with Martin Scott supporting them from midfield. Karanjit Singh will be in goal while Eder Fernandes and Augustin form the centre-half pairing, with the task of keeping the rampaging Bagan attack at bay. An exciting encounter is in store, it will be a match of forwards as both teams boast some deadly strikers who can turn the game at any moment. *---------------------* *#HEROFEDCUP #BACKTHEBLUE* *This is our chance to win a Trophy: Norde* *By Shoubhik Mukhopadhyay,I-League Media Team* *NEW DELHI:* The astounding authority over the pitch, the suavity to percolate any defence at will defines Haitian game maker Sony Norde. The Mariner was adjudged the 'Hero of the I-League' in the recently-concluded Hero I-League – courtesy 5 stunning goals and 4 cut-throat assists in 11 matches. Norde who wasn’t available for Bagan’s away tie against Salgaocar is ready to don the jersey on the morrow (Thursday, May 5, 2016) when the two Teams meet at the Barasat Stadium. In a freewheeling interview to www.i-league.org, Norde spoke at length about missing the Hero I-League silverware, the desire to win the Hero Federation Cup, his journey at Bagan, the road ahead and much more. *EXCERPTS:* *In spite of winning the ‘Hero of The I-League’ award, you missed the Hero I-League trophy by a whisker. Mixed feelings?* Yeah man -- you know, it’s one kind of situation when you want to cry but you have to show off your smiling face to whole the World. Everything was going just perfect and match-by-match and we were inching closer to our second consecutive Hero I-League title, that too being unbeaten. Then the loss in Aizawl followed by the Derby debacle dented our dream. But I would say conceding the goal in the last 20 seconds against Lajong dashed our dream completely. Had we won that match, we could have won the Hero I-League. You won’t believe, after the win against Bengaluru FC in Siliguri, I locked myself up in a room. Really it hurt me more than anything. We had won both our matches against the Champions but eventually they lifted the Trophy. But we’ve to recuperate ourselves pretty fast for the Hero Federation Cup and we will. *How much significant is the Hero Federation Cup for Mohun Bagan?* It’s our chance to win a Trophy this season. None of us want to finish the season empty-handed. Even our AFC slot is also at stake -- we have to make it count. The formation is really exciting -- you can’t sit laid-back after one match. That’s the charm which will keep you engrossed and am completely captivated by it. *You* *haven’t played three matches this Hero I-League and the title hope was blown away. Do * *you think your presence could have changed the equations?* You never know what is going to happen in a Football match. When I left for my International duty, Mohun Bagan was running like a well-oiled machine. But then we succumbed to two successive losses and then the next two draws cost us heavily. Had I been there I could have come of a little help to our Team -- we might have earned a few more points from those four matches. *Your football journey has been quite a fascinating one so far. Haiti to Argentina and then Bangladesh, followed by India. What is Sony Norde’s next stop?* (Laughs) Might be the Moon, who knows! Before coming to India, I got an offer from KV Oostende (currently fifth in Belgian Pro League). After the medical Test, I realised that the remuneration was almost same what I was getting in Bangladesh, hence, I had no other option but to drop it. Eventually, I landed in Kolkata to join Mohun Bagan. Even I had an offer from Mexico this season. It was almost done but finally, I chose Mohun Bagan over them again. The love and respect I got from the Mariners -- I couldn’t put them aside. But, it’s too early to say anything for the next season. Let’s see what awaits us next. You never know what’s up there for you tomorrow. *Given an opportunity will you play for any other Club in India, apart from Mohun Bagan?* I’m a professional sportsman and the career won’t last long. We have to take care of our Family even after our career is over. But frankly, the love of the Mohun Bagan supporters has been unbelievable. I really feel like I’m one of them. It might hurt their sentiments but at the end of the day, it’s about our career and our future. *You mention about the love – can you cite some examples for us.* One day I went for a movie with my fiancée in Kolkata. You won’t believe me, in the middle of the show some Mohun Bagan supporters came to take a picture with me. The joy, the elation which I saw in their eyes -- I just can’t let them down. Wherever I would move in future, Mohun Bagan supporters will always be with me -- in my heart. *Did Mohun Bagan miss a leader like Pierre Boya this season?* Off course! It’s beyond any doubt that we played this season sans a Leader. In quite a few occasions we could have changed the result but eventually, it didn’t happen as the Players weren’t properly ushered. You need a master who would run the show on the pitch -- otherwise, the mission fails, as I strongly feel. *Where does Sony Norde want to see himself in next 5 years?* I’m 27 years old now. In next 3 years, I want to get back to Argentina or Haiti. I won’t be paid a big fat salary every month. But the quality of Football is soaring up rapidly in our Country. Football is nothing but oxygen to me -- I can’t survive without it. Maybe I want to retire by 35. But if a lucrative offer comes my way from anywhere else I won’t let it go. Never! ------------------------------------- EOM Media Department, AIFF. Alternate: [email protected] Website: www.the-aiff.com
