Editorial Football Indian football ISL 2023-24

ISL 2023-24 || Mohun Bagan overturn deficit, reach ISL final

April 28, 2024
Rahul Giri
Jason Cummings. Source: Mohun Bagan X

Mohun Bagan restored the Salt Lake Stadium as their fortress, overpowering Odisha FC 2-0 to secure their spot in the ISL 2023-24 final with an aggregate scoreline of 3-2. Jason Cummings scored in the first half to reduce the deficit, while Sahal Abdul Samad scored the winner in additional time, coming off the bench to send his team through to the final.

After falling behind 2-1 in the first-leg, Bagan aimed to capitalise on their home advantage, welcomed by a full house,  adorned with eye-catching tifos. Antonio Lopez Habas and his boys didn’t disappoint as Cummings sent the crowd into a frenzy by scoring the opener in the 22nd minute, levelling the aggregate score. Dimi Petratos unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, deflected off Amrinder Singh’s gloves, but Cummings capitalised on the rebound, finding the back of the net.

 

The entire crowd fell silent just before half-time as Isak Vanlalruatfela headed Roy Krishna’s lofted cross towards the goal, but Hector Yuste’s positioning denied Isak’s header off the line, preserving the scoreline.

In the second-half, Habas introduced Sahal, Dipendu Biswas and Kiyan Nassiri in place of Anirudh Thapa, Anwar Ali and Liston Colaco to rejuvenate his side. However, Odisha FC upped their ante, breaching the home team’s backline several times. In the 70th minute, Manvir Singh made a crucial interception, denying Isak from meeting Krishna’s threatening cross inside the six-yard box.

Just six minutes later, Ranawade delivered a cross from the right side of the box. Yuste met the ball but played it back into the path of Ahmed Jahouh. The latter fired a shot from close range, deflecting off a defender, resulting in a corner. Despite Odisha’s relentless penetration, Bagan showed resilience, denying Odisha from taking the lead.

 

In the dying moments, Kiyan missed a golden opportunity, hitting the side netting off a rebound followed by Petratos’ shot being blocked by Odisha’s defender. However, just three minutes into additional time, Sahal, returning from a long injury lay-off, set the stadium alight. Manvir found Sahal inside the box with a threatening square pass, which was within Amrinder’s grasp, but the Odisha shot-stopper fumbled, allowing Sahal’s deflected shot to cross the line.

Bagan will now await their opponents in the final, to be decided in the second-leg of the other semi-final between FC Goa and Mumbai City FC. While Mumbai appear to be the favourites after a dramatic 3-2 victory at home, FC Goa remain formidable contenders. Nonetheless, Bagan are poised to benefit from the home  advantage as the final will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium.