Mighty Bagan Bounce Back against Pouncing Punjab in Crucial End Year Clash | ISL 24-25 Match Review

bySREYAS MUKHERJEE -

Mighty Bagan Bounce Back Against Pouncing Punjab in Crucial End Year Clash

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It’s a sunshine after a heavy storm for Mohun Bagan as the Mariners came back from 1-0 down to win over Punjab FC 3-1 on Thursday, 26th of December at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. It was their last match of 2024. This comes as a breath of fresh air for the Champions as they are going through a tough phase regarding player fitness issues.

With a disappointing loss to Goa in the last encounter, the fans were already down but the news of injuries to key players like Petratos, Ashique and Stewart elevated their concerns. Even Subhasish had broken bones in his face.


Mohun Bagan lineups: Vishal Kaith (GK), Subhasish (C), Alberto Rodriguez, Aldred, Rai, Colaco, Apuia, Thapa, Manvir, Maclaren, Cummings.
Punjab FC lineups: Kumar (GK), N.S. Meitei, Assisi, Singh, Leon, Nikhil Prabhu, Ricky Shabong, T.A. Singh,Vidal, Majcen, Suljic.

Punjab F.C. made their intentions very clear from the beginning of the game. They had already sensed the vulnerable position in which Mohun Bagan were in with so many players out and were eager to capitalise on it.

Nikhil Prabhu took a shot from distance as early as in the 3rd minute and it nearly went in but hit the crossbar. And this attitude finally paid dividends to Punjab F.C. as Ricky scored the opener in the 12th minute. He went past Ashish and there was literally no one to challenge him. He easily slotted the ball past Vishal.


The Mariners almost pulled off an immediate response with Manvir and Ashish combining for a side volley but Ravi saved it. Bagan had a few chances in the middle of the half with Manvir, Liston and Cummings trying their luck but to no avail. The 1st half thus ended with a 1-0 scoreline.T he absence of the injured players was clearly visible in their performance as they were lacking the creativity in the midfield which Stewart and Dimi offered.

The 2nd half was a polar opposite though with Alberto scoring just at the beginning of the 2nd half in the 48th minute with an excellent header. We were right back in the game. The whole game was turned upside down when Pulga Vidal was sent off when he started arguing with the referee as he got a yellow for a challenge on Liston.

Suddenly,the tables had turned. Bagan were fully on control of the game and started to attack freely. The Shers were finding it difficult to keep up with the Bagan attack with 10 men. Things went from bad to worse in the 63rd minute when the Mariners received a penalty for a challenge on Thapa inside the box. 


The referee was behind Thapa who was getting sandwiched, and cunning Thapa just pushed forward the ball and allowed himself to get sandwiched, taking full advantage of the awkward position of the referee as he fell down animatically.

And Macca made no mistake in putting it past Ravi. Mohun Bagan had completed their comeback. And in no time, the Mariners put the final nail in Punjab’s coffin with our star Alberto heading another one in the back of the net with a sublime ball from Thapa. It was Game, Set and Match. Manvir got another golden chance in the business end but wasted the chance. It was full time and the Mariners had tamed the Shers very meticulously.

This win despite so many injury problems shows that Molina has done a great job in building a great bench and a sense of camaraderie among the players. The experienced Indian players have stepped up when required.


Subhashis playing with broken bones just showed how committed players are to the club. Alberto in any team is a cheat code. He has easily been the best signing for us and probably of the whole ISL. This man can defend against the best attackers and can also score bangers. Overall it was a very pleasing display from the Mariners.

Mohun Bagan currently sit on top of the table with 29 points from 13 matches with a goal difference of 13 and currently the favourites to defend their title.  They play their next match at home on the 2nd of Jan,2025 against Hyderabad.

Though they are not in the best of their shapes at this moment,the Nizams can very possibly be party spoilers for us. We need to approach each game very seriously as at this stage of the tournament, every match matters.

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SREYAS MUKHERJEE

HELLO GUYS,I AM SREYAS,A STUDENT,SPORTS LOVER AND A SCIENCE GEEK.I WRITE REGULAR ARTICLES AND BLOGS.HOPE THESE ARE WILL BE HELPFUL FOR YOU AND YOU FIND THESE INFORMATIVE.PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS.THANK YOU.

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