Mohun Bagan rode on Edeh Chidi's double strike to hold title aspirant Salgaocar 2-2 in their I-League encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Sunday. Salgaocar scored through Ryuiji Seuoka and Gilbert Oliveira.
Chidi put Bagan ahead in the 14th minute when he outjumped his marker to nod home a measured cross from Surkumar Singh.
The visitor, with its Ghana-Japan combination of Yusif Yakubu and Seuoka in the thick of things, stretched the home defence with regular forays.
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Seuoka executed a perfect shot on the run to divert home a short pass from right-back Jaspal Parmar to bring Salgaocar back into the game in the 30th minute. Salgaocar continued to attack and its aggressive approach paid dividends when Oliveira found the net in the 39th minute off a fine solo effort.
Paying dividends
The change of ends saw Bagan renew its efforts to get back into the match. It spruced up the midfield by bringing in the young Souvik Chakraborty in place of the sluggish Manish Mathani. The move paid off as the host attack regained its edge, thanks to better supply from the middle.
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In the 52nd minute, a long floater from Gauranga Dutta swerved clear of the Salgaocar defenders with Chidi positioned near the goalmouth.
The Nigerian striker made no mistake with his header which beat Salgaocar custodian Karanjeet Singh.
With the draw, Salgaocar has 47 points from 23 matches and Bagan 31 from 24 outings.