Tactical Brilliance from Molina ensure Bagan stays at the top.
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| Picture Courtesy - ISL & MBSG Media |
Mohun Bagan played the role of the ringmaster once again as
the Mariners dominate the Shers of Punjab 3-0 in a scintillating display of Molina
Ball on Wednesday, 6th of February at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati
Krirangan in Saltlake. It is the 2nd consecutive win for Bagan with a 2+ goal
margin and move further away from the competition at the top of the table.
Macca brace, Liston magic give us the most crucial 3 points at home . We move ! 💚❤️ pic.twitter.com/unF5zMcFbp
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) February 5, 2025
Mohun Bagan Lineups : Vishal(Gk), Ashish Rai , Dippendu Biswas, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhashis Bose(c), Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Deepak Tangri, Liston Colaco, Greg Stewart, Jamie Maclaren.
Subs: Abhishek Suryavanshi, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jason Cummings, Dimi Petratos, Dheeraj Singh(Gk), Arsh Anwar Shaikh(Gk), Glan Martins, Saurabh Bhanwala, Suhail Ahmed Bhatt.
Head Coach: Jose Francisco Molina
Punjab F.C. Lineups: Ravi Kumar(Gk), Ivan Novoselec(c), Melroy Assisi, Singh, Vinit Rai, Ashish Pradhan, Ricky Shabong, T.A.Singh, Lhungdim, Ezequiel Vidal, Petros Giakoumakis.
Subs: Mrzljak, Shami, Suhail, Sudeesh, Majcen, L.R.Meitei, Leon, N.S.
Meitei, Shabir(Gk)
Head Coach: Panagiotis Dilmperis
#Mariners, here's how we're lining up against Punjab FC, at the Saltlake Stadium! pic.twitter.com/TvoziR4Q0c
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) February 5, 2025
The first half began with the Mariners beginning the proceedings but was pretty boring from an overall point of view. Bagan got their first opportunity in the 6th minute when Manvir tried a flick off a Stewart corner but was unconvincingly saved by Ravi Kumar. Kumar again came in clutch for the Shers in th 9th minute as he saved an excellent long ranger from Stewart.
The two P’s of Punjab, Pradhan and Pulga tried to break into the
Bagan penalty are but their attempts were thwarted by a resilient Mariner
defense. The defending champions probably got their best chance of the half at
the very end with Liston having only the goalie to beat but a weak finesse shot from
him ruined the chance. The half thus ended with both teams failing to trouble
the defenders.
Deadlock is yet to be broken at VYBK. ⛓️🔐 pic.twitter.com/nXuc3wfGHT
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) February 5, 2025
The Shers kicked off the 2nd half and were determined to score. They right away started to put pressure on the Bagan defense. Giakoumakis nearly scored in the 54th minute from a wonderful ball from Pulga but perhaps lady luck was not on his side and his shot hit the post.
Pulga himself dribbled past the Mariner defense in the very next minute but a vital tackle from our young superstar Dippendu saved the day. And our starboy did not stop there. In the very next minute, he made a darting run towards the opposition half and played a wonderful lofted ball to Macca in the box who put it in the back of the net with an exquisite finish.
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| Picture Courtesy - ISL & MBSG Media |
That goal had literally switched on a barrage of Bagan attacks. Maclaren almost scored in the 59th minute once again but Kumar came to the rescue with a wonderful save. Liston extended the misery of the Shers by scoring a beautiful goal from the side of the box in the 63rd minute.
Punjab tried to make a
comeback as they subbed on Majcen, Mrzljak but the Mariners defense was
impenetrable. It was Macca who put the final nail in the Coffin of Punjab as he
scored another in the misery. The referee blew the final whistle, thus putting an
end to Punjab’s misery.
This was a very positive performance from Mohun Bagan’s
point of view. Their attacking play and defense both were on point. The tactical brilliance from Molina in the 2nd half had ensured that bagan won the match. The Bagan
faithful would be very pleased from the performance of Dippendu as his
performance has almost cemented his place in the starting lineup which may facilitate an extra foreign attacking option
for them. As far as Punjab is concerned, their chances for qualifying for the top
6 remains difficult as they are on 23 points in 18 matches.
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| Picture Courtesy - ISL & MBSG Media |
Molina showed his tactical brilliance in the match, where he successfully stopped Punjab from playing their normal game without players like Apuia or Aldred. After a Solid defensive display from punjab in the 1st half, Molina changed the gameplan a little and the inclusion of Abhisek Suryavanshi in place of injured Sahal also helped in gaining control over the midfield, which ultimately decided the fate of the match.
🚨 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 🚨
🟢🔴 Mohun Bagan became the first team in ISL history to qualify for playoffs for 5 straight seasons 🤯 pic.twitter.com/v92lAW0Bpv
The Green and Maroon Brigade remain on top of the table with
46 points in 20 matches and are 10 points ahead of Goa who have a game in
hand. The mariners became the first team in ISL 2024-25 , to qualify for the playoffs. The Mariners are way ahead and are even expected to break the ISL points
record which was set by themselves last season. But we should not get too ahead
of ourselves and focus on one game after another.
Jamie Maclaren has dedicated his brace to late Samar Kumar Chaki 🙏🕊️ pic.twitter.com/Fhym87FNXw
— MBFT : Mohun Bagan (@MBFT89) February 6, 2025
The Mariners play their next match against Kerala on
Saturday,15th of February in Kochi. All eyes will be on the that game
as the league stage comes to its business end.
