There was bone-chilling cold. Then there was a Real Kashmir outfit used to such extreme conditions but Mohun Bagan still, making light of both, won their I-League match 2-0 here on Sunday.
After a barren first half, Joseba Beitia (71st minute) and Nongdamba Naorem (73rd) scored for the Kolkata giants in a span of two minutes, shattering the hopes of home fans.
It was a chilly morning, with the temperature dipping to 1 degree, but 11,500 Kashmiri spectators still enthusiastically watched the game against one of India’s biggest and oldest clubs.
For tickets, they queued up since 9 o’clock in the morning, but quite a few of them still could not make it to the ground. Such was the craze.
The game started at 11.30 am at the TRC ground because of bitting cold, but the harsh weather conditions failed to stop the visitors from showing their skills.
The green and maroons had the lion’s share of possession and more shots on target but the home side had more attempts and five more corners in a game which could have gone either way.
Mohun Bagan have 10 points from five games, while Kashmir dropped to eighth spot with five points from four games.
Mohun Bagan coach Vicuna expressed his joy and said, “We won against a tough opponent, but it was not out best match. Real Kashmir were going with their set piece, but we played better football against Churchill brothers.
“Today we played good football, and copped with the difficulties of conditions.”
The Mariners will next host Indian Arrows on January 9 while the Snow Leopards will host Punjab FC one day later.