Rahul Giri in Kolkata
A packed Yuba Bharati Krirangan welcomed Mohun Bagan Super Giants onto the pitch against Odisha FC, hoping to witness history. And the home side didn’t disappoint, securing the Indian Super League shield in the most dramatic fashion. They won 1-0 right at the end.
Dimitri Petratos struck the winner in additional time, sending the raucous crowd into ecstasy. With this victory, Mohun Bagan sealed the shield with two matches to spare, achieving an unprecedented feat — winning it back-to-back, something no team had ever done before.
In the opening quarter, neither team posed much threat inside their opponent’s box, as both played a tight midfield battle. Manvir Singh had the first notable attempt from the left, but Amrinder Singh denied him at the near post. Around the 30-minute mark, Jamie Maclaren tried his luck from almost the same region with a powerful shot after Apuia won possession from Hugo Boumous and initiated the move. However, Amrinder thwarted Maclaren’s effort with a full-stretch save.
Odisha FC’s attack looked blunt in the absence of Ahmed Jahouh, who has terminated his contract with the club, and Diego Mauricio, who was unavailable for unknown reasons. However, their defence showed resilience. Mourtada Fall and his defensive unit put their bodies on the line, blocking every move inside the box. Mohun Bagan almost found the back of the net at the stroke of half-time when Greg Stewart unleashed a shot from outside the box after Thoiba Singh lost possession in a critical area. Amrinder once again denied him and then bravely blocked Maclaren’s effort from the rebound.
The second half started in a similar fashion, with Mohun Bagan orchestrating play in midfield. Manvir got another opportunity to break the deadlock when he met Subhasish Bose’s floating cross with a sharp header, but it sailed over. Around the hour mark, Manvir had a golden opportunity when Stewart found him inside the box with a low cross that tore apart Odisha’s defence. However, much to the fans’ dismay, Manvir’s strike missed the target by inches.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
Minutes later, Odisha FC nearly stunned the hosts when Carlos Delgado flicked a Hugo Boumous free-kick inside the box for Fall to head home. However, Vishal Kaith produced a spectacular save to deny him. Soon after, the goalkeeper again rose to the occasion, stopping a Boumous effort from outside the box.
Desperate for three points, Jose Molina switched to Plan B, bringing on Dimitri Petratos, Anirudh Thapa and Dipendu Biswas in place of Tom Aldred, Deepak Tangri and Ashis Rai for a more attacking approach. His plan almost worked when, in the 80th minute, Maclaren missed a sitter inside the box from Manvir’s cross.
Odisha FC struggled to withstand Mohun Bagan’s relentless attacks, and in the 82nd minute, Fall committed a foul just outside the box on Maclaren and was sent off. However, Petratos couldn’t capitalise on the resultant free-kick and struck the wall.
Molina introduced fresh legs in Ashique Kuruniyan and Jason Cummings, replacing Liston Colaco and Greg Stewart. Finally, in additional time, Petratos, receiving a pass from Manvir, found the bottom right corner with a brilliant finish — eerily similar to his winner against East Bengal in the Durand Cup 2023.
With that goal, Mohun Bagan sealed their historic back-to-back league-shield triumph, leaving the fans in absolute euphoria.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant owner Sanjeev Goenka promises that the team’s goal is to perform well on the international stage as well. “We have done well at the national level, and now our goal is to progress on the international stage,” said Goenka.
Also Read: Mohammedan Sporting Club Announces Departure of Head Coach Andrey Chernyshov
The post Mohun Bagan make history by winning ISL shield for the second successive time appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports.
