New Delhi: Mohun Bagan were vulnerable at the back again but their offence bailed them out from a tight spot in a 3-2 win over NorthEast United in Kolkata on Monday for their first win in the 2024-25 Indian Super League.
It was Bagan’s first win after three matches across competitions, having been at the receiving end of a shootout loss to NorthEast in the Durand Cup final, followed by a 2-2 draw with Mumbai City on their ISL opener and a goalless draw with Tajikistan’s Ravshan Kulob in AFC Champions league 2.
While these three points lifted them to fourth in the standings after two rounds and surely gave head coach Jose Molina relief, but he would hardly be delighted at the way they defended in the comeback victory.
Bagan were under pressure right from kick-off and after Alaeddine Ajaraei struck the post in the initial exchanges, they went behind when Mohammed Ali Bemammer booming right footer from outside the box that breezed past Vishal Kaith into the bottom corner on four minutes.
NorthEast’s speedy wingers Ajaraei and Jithin MS made life difficult for Bagan’s four-man backline and it seemed they would increase their lead any moment but instead conceded in the 10th minute.
Young defender Dippendu Biswas, who has taken East Bengal bound Anwar Ali’s place in the starting XI, sent his looping header to a Dimi Petratos free-kick over Gurmeet Singh and into the top far corner for his first goal since breaking into the senior team last season.
But he, along with the entire backpedalling Bagan players failed to deal with a sharp counter-attack that exposed the vulnerability of the green and maroons in dealing with nifty, crafty forwardd like Ajaraei, whose angular left footer was beyond a diving Kaith’s reach.
Any other team would have disntegrated after such morale-sapping way of conceding the second goal within 24 minutes, but this Bagan side has such firepower that when they have the ball they pose a constant threat.
Mohun Bagan fight back in 2nd half
NorthEast went into the break ahead but only after making two goal-line saves to deny Manvir Singh and Greg Stewart as Bagan’s star-studded offensive line combined inside the box to create opportunities.
The intensity dropped after the break as both teams were mindful of not getting exposed at the back amidst pouring rain.
It favoured Bagan as they grew into the game and with the introduction of Sahal Abdul Samad, Jason Cummings and later Jamie Mclaren, they were too strong to be denied for long.
Gurmeet Singh’s inability to hold onto Stewart’s header allowed Subhasish Bose to stab home though the hand of the keeper just past the hour mark as the referee waved off vehement demands of a foul from NorthEast players.
Bagan pushed forward for the kill and Samad found Cummings inside the box for the Australian to neatly place it in though Bagan were tenterhooks for the remainder of action after taking the lead on 87 minutes.
Mohun Bagan secured a 3-2 victory over NorthEast United, coming from behind twice to win in an ISL game in Kolkata on Monday. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
