Calcutta: No sooner Dipendu Biswas slammed past Gopal Das for Mohun Bagan’s match-winner in the 88th minute, the furious Mohammedan Sporting supporters began to hurl stones at the players. One policeman was injured, after he was hit near his eyes. The injury, though, wasn’t serious.

The situation was soon brought under control after policemen pacified the Mohammedan Sporting supporters, who were a disappointed lot after having seen a better show by their team in the first-half.

But, as Mohammedan Sporting coach Subhas Bhowmick admitted post-match, the calf-muscle injury to Noel Wilson turned the match in Mohun Bagan’s favour. “After he went out of the field, there was lack of concentration… It seemed we lost it midway.”

In fact he maintained that Mohun Bagan did not beat them, rather “we lost the match. It will definitely affect our morale.”

Mohun Bagan coach Chima Okerie, on the other side, was ecstatic. He could not have “asked for more” from his team without the injured trio Bhaichung Bhutia, Fabio Cortez Vidal and Sanjeev Maria.

Terming it a “good beginning”, Chima said “our boys were very committed today.”

Asked about his ploy to bring in Jose Barreto in the midfield in the second-half, Chima said: “He generates more space to play in that position… There he is more capable of creating opportunities, so I asked him to play in the mid-field. And, it worked…”

With the ‘big match’ (against East Bengal) just three days to go, Chima hoped that Bhaichung and Fabio would be available for the match. About Maria, he however was unsure.