Molina-ball under Heavy Scrutiny as Bengaluru Embarrass Bagan 3-0
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| Pic Courtesy : ISL Media |
Mohun Bagan's turbulent start to the season continues as the defending shield champions were thrashed by table toppers Bengaluru F.C. 3-0 in a much anticipated clash on Saturday at the Kanteerava Stadium in the garden city. This was one of the worst performances that Molina's men have shown this season and it also marked their first loss in regulation time under their new manager.
The Kolkata giants lined up in a 4-4-2 formation featuring Kaith in goal, Ashish, Aldred, Dippendu and Captain Subhasish forming the back four with Stewart, Abhishek, Apuia, Manvir in midfield and Petratos and Cummings upfront.
This was a very different lineup from their win against the Blues in the Durand Cup semifinals which took place last month with many big names like Liston, Sahal and Thapa missing out. But the biggest surprise of them all was that our marquee signing Maclaren was still on the bench.
This was a very different lineup from their win against the Blues in the Durand Cup semifinals which took place last month with many big names like Liston, Sahal and Thapa missing out. But the biggest surprise of them all was that our marquee signing Maclaren was still on the bench.
Our Starting XI for today's Indian Super League Match against Bengaluru FC.
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) September 28, 2024
Let's Go Mariners 💚
Joy Mohun Bagan ❤️ #JoyMohunBagan #MBFT pic.twitter.com/aw3SlEXgER
Bengaluru started the game with all guns blazing and from their display, it was clear that they were eyeing for revenge, but were lucky as in the 2nd minute, Gurpreet threw the ball straight to Manvir but he failed to hit the target. Petratos also hit a promising freekick from a dangerous position in the 8th minute but was eventually denied by Gurpreet.
The Blues opened the deadlock in the 9th minute with Edgar Mendez scoring from a clumsy corner. He almost doubled their lead in the 13th minute from a rapid counter attack orchestrated with the help of Gurpreet and Poojary. BFC were all over the Mariners and the Kolkata giants literally had no answers for it.
Suresh doubled Bengaluru's lead in the 20th minute with a brilliant assist from Chhetri. Chhetri almost scored their third in the very next minute just after the restart but the effort was thwarted by Kaith.
Things continued to go downhill for Bagan as Aldred and Dippendu collided inside the box in the 27th minute and both of them seemed to be in trouble. But luckily, it was not very serious and both of them were able to continue. Kaith once again denied Bengaluru their 3rd as he made a brilliant save off Noguera in the 39th minute.
The Blues opened the deadlock in the 9th minute with Edgar Mendez scoring from a clumsy corner. He almost doubled their lead in the 13th minute from a rapid counter attack orchestrated with the help of Gurpreet and Poojary. BFC were all over the Mariners and the Kolkata giants literally had no answers for it.
Suresh doubled Bengaluru's lead in the 20th minute with a brilliant assist from Chhetri. Chhetri almost scored their third in the very next minute just after the restart but the effort was thwarted by Kaith.
Things continued to go downhill for Bagan as Aldred and Dippendu collided inside the box in the 27th minute and both of them seemed to be in trouble. But luckily, it was not very serious and both of them were able to continue. Kaith once again denied Bengaluru their 3rd as he made a brilliant save off Noguera in the 39th minute.
A lot to do at the second half. 👊🏼💚❤️#JoyMohunBagan #MBFT pic.twitter.com/1lvOEFEE6g
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) September 28, 2024
The 2nd half was not much different as well. Sahal was brought in for Abhishek as a half time change to increase their attacking prowess but to no avail. Chhetri almost scored a header from a curling ball from Roshan in the 46th minute but failed to connect.
The Blues continued their flurry of attacks and it paid off in no time. Dippendu fouled Mendez inside the box in the 49th minute and Chhetri made no mistake putting it past Vishal. With this goal, Chhetri became ISL's all time top goalscorer with 64 goals, that too by scoring against the club that introduced him to Indian Football.
The 2018-19 ISL Champions were in no mood of slowing down and continued their relentless attacks. The situation went from bad to worse for Mohun Bagan as Sahal was forced off after just being in the field for 10 minutes due to a muscular injury and was replaced by Liston.
Molina finally made the most anticipated change of the match in the 65th minute when he subbed on Macca for Dimi. But no difference was seen, as nobody was there to fed balls to him. Manvir, Liston did try to score long rangers but the efforts yielded no result at all.
The Blues continued their flurry of attacks and it paid off in no time. Dippendu fouled Mendez inside the box in the 49th minute and Chhetri made no mistake putting it past Vishal. With this goal, Chhetri became ISL's all time top goalscorer with 64 goals, that too by scoring against the club that introduced him to Indian Football.
The 2018-19 ISL Champions were in no mood of slowing down and continued their relentless attacks. The situation went from bad to worse for Mohun Bagan as Sahal was forced off after just being in the field for 10 minutes due to a muscular injury and was replaced by Liston.
Molina finally made the most anticipated change of the match in the 65th minute when he subbed on Macca for Dimi. But no difference was seen, as nobody was there to fed balls to him. Manvir, Liston did try to score long rangers but the efforts yielded no result at all.
Defeat at Kanteerava. 💔 #JoyMohunBagan #MBFT pic.twitter.com/Ic5PPUpZsW
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) September 28, 2024
This performance was nothing short of a scandal and it only adds fuel to the rising anger against coach Jose Francisco Molina among the Mohun Bagan faithful. The performance of this team under the new coach since the beginning of the season inclusive of all competitions seems to be very un-Mohun Bagan like, with players dropping shoulders and being completely dumb founded against teams they breezed past last season.
The Mariners look clueless in the attack and vulnerable in the defence. The fact that ISL tested and marquee players are often being benched has also not sit well with the Bagan faithful and Indian football enthusiasts in general. The players seem to lack confidence and fluidity.
The Mariners look clueless in the attack and vulnerable in the defence. The fact that ISL tested and marquee players are often being benched has also not sit well with the Bagan faithful and Indian football enthusiasts in general. The players seem to lack confidence and fluidity.
The Mariners are currently placed 6th in the ISL table with 4 points in 3 matches. One thing is clear from these matches is that its going to be a very tough and competitive season.
Our beloved club is going through a rough patch and not playing the best football and with tough games against Tractor, Mohammedan and East Bengal coming up, all eyes will be Molina and the club management on how they deal with this tricky situation.