"Mohun Baganism at the VYBK"- Mohun Bagan vs Kerala Blasters Match Review !

byRichik Nag -

"MohunBaganism at the VYBK"
Mohun Bagan vs Kerala Blasters Match Review


Football is a sport that's been played for centuries. Think about it, what makes football so special? After all, it is just 22 men chasing a ball for 90 minutes trying to put it in a net. But what makes this seemingly simple sport the most loved, most enjoyed and most beautiful sport in the world? It's the passion, the moments that propel the fans to shout at the top of their voice, to cry inconsolably, to jump, to sit, to throw away things, to punch in frustration. That's football. And football was presented in it's truest sense last night. For those who want to relieve that magic, let's go back together.

Bengaluru FC had dropped points earlier in the day, which meant Bagan had the perfect opportunity to go 2 points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand, if they could beat an out of form Kerala Blasters side. No one would've given much of a chance to Kerala owing to their run of poor results recently. But in football, never say never, and that's what was on display last night.

Coach Molina picked Vishal in goal and he was aided in front by the return of Alberto Rodriguez who paired up with Aldred. Subhasis and Ashish were the usual fullbacks. Apuia and Sahal started in the middle, with Manvir and Liston on either flank. Upfront, Dimi started along with Maclaren.

Pic Courtesy : ISL Media

Blasters had nothing to loose. Mohun Bagan had to win as this was the last home game of the year, infront of the loving fans, who've always had the team's back. Kerala started the game with aggression. They were taking the game to the mariners. Noah especially looked lively on the left. Him and Jimenez were combining well. Bagan didn't help themselves as well. Miss pass after miss pass, they were giving the ball away cheaply. Every time Bagan looked to play a few passes and build up the game, a miss pass would kill it all. Bagan were largely reduced to taking long range shots. Liston even tried to score directly from a 45 yard free kick. All these didn't trouble the keeper enough and scores kept nil nil. Until something happened.

Kerala keeper Sachin Suresh had a brain fade moment as he could not deal with Ashish Rai's long ranger effectively. He pushed the ball directly into the path of a certain Aussie legend who has made a living from being in the right position at the right time. And he didn't miss. It was Jamie Maclaren and he scored yet again infront of the loving home fans who went crazy as the ball went in. It was against the run of play for sure, but it didn't matter. Bagan led 1-0 within the first thirty odd minutes.

The rest of the half didn't see much improvement from Bagan. The passing was poor and at times without purpose. Kerala did try to press but, their best chance of the half was squandered by Jimenez as he missed from close range. The first half thus ended on a frustrating note for both sides. Bagan lead the game but it looked even stevens for sure.


Bagan's callousness was finally punished by the man who looked almost certain to score in the second half. Vishal had all the time in the world to pick a pass, but he picked Subhasish who under the pressure made a wrong pass which was collected well by Jimenez who made no mistake to cool-ly slot it home. Kerala's goal brought back the nightmarish end that Bagan endured at the end of last year at the hands of the Blasters. A silly and unnecessary goal to concede, but a deserved punishment for being so careless throughout the game.

Kerala looked like they had tasted blood. They kept on attacking through Noah and Jimenez. Bagan, except few shots from Liston who came so close to restoring the lead, looked toothless in attack. Noah was being a real headache and forced Kaith to pull save after save to keep his aside in the game.

But as they say, even the most perfect things have flaws. Vishal has been the toast of the season for Bagan. A sling of great performances in both the league and the Durand cup, new contract and national team callup. He has been in his best form this year. But even he slipped up. 76th minute of the game, Vishal spilled the ball as he failed to gather the free kick and it fell in the path of Drincic who slotted it home. And thus went Bagan's lead. Kerala players were ecstatic, their fans who had come so far were overjoyed. Bagan was stunned, the stadium drowned in silence. Was this the end of Bagan's unbeaten streak? It certainly felt like that.

Times like these are the real test for a manager. People overlook the importance of bench strength many times, but Molina probably made the best two substitutions of his Mohun Bagan career so far. He brought on Jason Cummings and Ashique in place of Aldred and Liston. And magic happened. Cummings and Ashique gave a fresh air to this team and Bagan slowly regained their mojo back. But they had only 10 minutes to equalize and up front were 11 Kerala players who would do anything to prevent the ball from going into the net.

Challenge accepted said Bagan. Captain Subhasish put in a dream ball for Ashique who had escaped his man and made his run on the left. His low cross was met swiftly by Dimi. The ball went in, albeit with a touch from Cummings. And suddenly Bagan were back in the match with only 5 minutes to go. The stadium found it's voice again. Bagan were back. The champions never give up, and Bagan were not going down easily.

Normal time ended. It was time for extra time. 5 minutes were added. With the scores being level, bot teams went for the kill. At one moment the ball was in Bagan's half, while in the next moment the action shifted to Kerala's half. The Blasters defended well and blocked anything and everything by putting in their bodies on the line. But their resolve had to break.

With the last corners of the game, the ball played ping pong all around. Subhasish's shot was blocked and the ball went up. As gravity pulled it down, an unstoppable force hit the ball. An unstoppable force that can also be an immovable object at the back. Alberto Rodriguez hammered the ball like the Thor throws his hammer, for the ball went in like a blast of thunder. Not only did it ripple the net, it blasted it. The stadium turned into a colosseum. The fans, the players, the manager, the chairman. Everyone lost it. The emotions were raw. The happiness, the joy, the tears were real. Football is a great leveller. If you love it, it will give you best nights of your life, nights that stay with you till your grave. Yesterday was such a night. The night when Alberto Rodriguez was immortalized forever in the annals of Mohun Bagan. Magical. Subliminal. Almost otherworldly. The temperature inside the stadium had gone up by a few degrees and so did the decibel levels. Bagan had won it. No, they snatched it.

Becoming champions is not about dominating every game. It's about winning these games where everything goes against you. Bagan played poorly for the entire game, but they more than made up for it in the end. The game ended and Bagan went 2 points clear at the top. A magical night at the VYBK that'll be talked about for years to come.

Bagan now sit pretty at the top of the table, with a game in hand. Should they be able to continue this form, they should be out of sight of the other teams pretty soon. But as our Chairman, Dr. Goenka says," fingers crossed". Enjoy these moments, for this is not only about the destination, it's about the journey too.


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Richik Nag

Hello and welcome to my blog! I look forward to sharing my views with you. So do support by following my blog and sharing your valuable feedback. Follow me on Instagram; @rikzerka007

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