Mohun Bagan Super Giants capped off a historic Indian Super League (ISL) season by completing a remarkable double — first topping the group stage to win the Shield, and now lifting the ISL Cup with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC in the final.
They became the first team to win the ISL final on home turf, maintaining an impeccable record at Yuva Bharati Krirangan, where no team managed to breach their fortress all season. In front of a raucous crowd of 59,000 at the iconic venue, the Green and Maroon brigade scripted history.
From the very first whistle, both teams showed their intent as the packed stadium witnessed an intense, end-to-end contest. However, as the first half progressed, Bengaluru FC began to dominate the midfield, dictating the tempo of the game. Their game plan remained consistent with their previous two encounters against Mohun Bagan— pressing high and disrupting the home team’s build-up from the back.
Mohun Bagan had their first real chance in the ninth minute when Jamie Maclaren fired a strike from the right side of the box. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu parried it away, and on the rebound, Jason Cummings’ effort was crucially blocked by a Bengaluru defender.
The visitors continued to threaten with a flurry of attacks. In the 19th minute, Sunil Chhetri almost put Bengaluru ahead with a header from a corner, but Subhasish Bose made a vital block to deny the legendary striker.
Bengaluru came out firing in the second half and nearly scored within two minutes. Ryan Williams latched onto a cross from Alberto Noguera, but Vishal Kaith made a stunning save to keep the scores level. However, just moments later, disaster struck for the home side as Alberto Rodriguez’s attempted clearance of another Williams cross resulted in an own goal. The stadium fell silent.
That goal sparked Mohun Bagan into life. Coach Jose Molina responded by bringing on Sahal Abdul Samad and Ashique Kuruniyan in place of Liston Colaco and Anirudh Thapa around the hour mark, in a bid to inject fresh energy into the attack. The move paid off, as the home side began to pile relentless pressure on the Bengaluru defence.
In the 70th minute, Cummings’ cross found Maclaren in the box, whose shot was blocked by Bengaluru defender Chinglesana Singh’s outstretched hand. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Cummings stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty into the bottom-left corner, past a fully stretched Gurpreet, to restore parity.
As the game approached the 90-minute mark, Kuruniyan made a dazzling run down the left flank, beating his marker before firing a shot at the near post, only to be denied again by Gurpreet. With the score locked at 1-1, the match went to extra time.
Just five minutes into extra time, Maclaren sent the stadium into a frenzy. Greg Stewart delivered a low cross from the right, which Chinglesana failed to clear properly. Maclaren seized the opportunity, slotting the ball between Gurpreet’s legs to make it 2-1.
Maclaren limped off shortly after scoring the winner, handing over the captain’s armband to his close friend Dimi Petratos. The Green and Maroon held firm for the remainder of the match, displaying grit and determination to preserve their lead.