Dipendu Biswas with Lalkamal Bhowmick after scoring Mohun Bagan’s winner at the Barasat stadium on Friday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: The pressure was more on Mohun Bagan’s new coach Chima Okerie than his boys before the start of the match against Mohammedan Sporting. Having saved his former club Mohun Bagan on many occasions, it was the ‘first’ test for the former Nigerian striker’s coaching abilities.

Sans Bhaichung Bhutia and Fabio Cortez Vidal (down with injury), the challenge against Mohammedan Sporting in their Round VI action of the 11th ONGC National Football League, was more. In fact the absence of Bhaichung — who watched the action from the media box — was clearly evident in the first-half as their opponents, peppered by fine performances from Man-of-the-Match Ndem Herve, were a notch above, creating more chances.

But as it turned out, the last two minutes changed everything. For Chima it was a realisation of his abilities, while for his counterpart Subhas Bhowmick it was tough luck, having missed Noel Wilson due to calf injury in the second-half.

And, as it turned out, it was substitute Dipendu Biswas who became the Man Friday for Chima at the Barasat Stadium.

Substituted for an off-colour Rahul Kumar in the second-half, Dipendu proved his worth in the 88th minute, when his sharp right-footer, capitalising on a Suman Dutta back volley, outplayed Gopal Das’ diving effort to his right. Incidentally, Suman too was from the bench, having brought in place of Dulal Biswas 15 minutes before the match-winner.

In fact, the scoreline could have easily read 3-0 in favour of Mohun Bagan, had they made use of their numerous chances in the dying minutes against a lowly-looking Mohammedan Sporting. On one occasion, P.C. Lalawmpuia missed one near the goalpost, while Dipendu failed to make it a brace on another.

Captain Jose Barreto appeared clueless, in the forward line in the first half. Like in the 38th minute, Barreto failed to cover the field to make use of a sharp pass from Lalkamal Bhowmick. But the second-half saw Barreto creating more opportunities, being more effective in the mid-field. Bhowmick must be ruing the fact that his boys failed to make use of the chances they got in the first-half.

Their 10th-minute goal by Preston Corporal, who elbowed Mehrajuddin Wadoo before netting, was discarded by the referee. On other occasions Ndem and Basudeb Mondal’s efforts went in vain. With the win, Chima’s boys moved up the ladder to seventh spot with seven points.

TEAMS

Mohun Bagan: Sangram Mukherjee, Deepak Kumar Mondal, Meherajuddin Wadao, Goutam Debnath, Chinmoy Sarkar, Dulal Biswas (Suman Dutta 73), Rahul Kumar (Dipendu Biswas 46), Lalkamal Bhowmick, Manas Das, P.C. Lalawmpuia, Jose Barreto

Mohammedan Sporting: Gopal Das, Surojit Roy (Jatin Singh Bisht 36), Madhav Kumar Das, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Bolwe Mputu, Mir Farooq Hyder, Noel Anthony Wilson (Sudheesh Muttath 68), Basudeb Mondal (Koluthungan 70), Ndem Akiyeck G. Herve, M. Bijen Singh, Preston Papai Corporal

Referee: Dinesh Nair (Gujarat)