The Champions of India defeats FC Goa 2-0 to reach the 1000* points mark in Indian league history! | Mohun Bagan vs FC Goa Match Review |

byTeam MBFT -

 The Champions of India defeats FC Goa 2-0 to reach the 1000* points mark in National league history!

Pic Courtesy - ISL Media

“Table Toppers on my foot.” – That is what two Gaur fans said as FC Goa defeated Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the away fixture. What they didn’t know was that Mohun Bagan will always have the last laugh. This was MatchWeek 26 and the final game of the ISL League in which Mohun Bagan, the Shield Champions, faced the 2nd placed team, FC Goa, at the VYBK. With 61000 fans and counting, the stadium was packed with spectators who came to see the top two teams fight and watch Mohun Bagan lift the ISL Shield for the second time.

Starting Lineups

Mohun Bagan Starting Lineup: Dheeraj Singh(GK), Asish Rai-Tom Aldred-Alberto Rodriguez-Ashique Kuruniyan,Apuia-Anirudh Thapa, Manvir Singh-Greg Stewart-Liston Colaco, Dimitri Petratos(C)

Coach: Jose Molina

FC Goa Starting Lineup: Hrithik Tiwari(GK), Akash Sangwan-Sandesh Jhingan-Odei-Boris Singh, Carl McHugh-Rowlin Borges, Udanta Singh-Borja Herrera-Mohammed Yasir, Iker Guarrotxena.

Coach: Manolo Marquez

Pic Courtesy - ISL Media

How the game unfolded- A Detailed Breakdown

This match was a showoff between the two best teams of the league and who laughs the last laugh. Mohun Bagan had yet another opportunity to prove that they are the Champions of India. Meanwhile, FC Goa had to show that even the biggest of giants can fall.

As the match started, Mohun Bagan caught the flow of the game, dominating the field and creating chances from the wings. At 5’, Manvir dribbled with pace past Akash Sangwan, who decided to hold him back from behind, earning him a yellow card in return.

FC Goa tried to build up pressure on the right attacking half, combining Iker with Borja and Yasir with support from Boris, but Liston foiled their plans by playing from behind and helping Alberto and Ashique defend against them. 

At 12’, Apuia helped to build up a promising attack as Manvir played the ball towards Asish Rai as he was making a run, allowing Rai to pass the ball through to Petratos, but ultimately, he was unable to find an angle to shoot.

At 16’, the Gaurs attempted to score as Rowlin gave a long pass to Borja, who laid it up front for Iker, who failed to find the back of the net. 

FC Goa, then, decided to pressurize the left attacking half, as at 18’, Rowlin’s long pass again reached Udanta, who dribbled past Asish in the box and took a shot at goal, blocked at the last second by Tom. 

FC Goa, catching the wind of the game, took every chance they had to score but Bagan’s defense stood strong. 

Greg Stewart pushed the ball forward to create pressure and took a shot at goal, but it was blocked by Sandesh. Ashique and Liston coupled up in the attacking third to cross the ball into the box. 

Apuia was clinical in the midfield. From snatching balls and delivering key passes, he made his presence felt in the match. Thapa, on the other hand, was struggling at some stages of the game, but he made up for it by working hard and providing support to the defense as well as the offense.

At 37’, Dheeraj stood tall at goal to deny Borja’s freekick from being converted. 

At 45’, Mohun Bagan’s pressure in the midfield worked as Boris’s pass was intercepted by Manvir. He played to Dimitri, who fell to the ground. Manvir ran forward with the ball and scored. The fans were jubilant but it didn’t last long as the referee declared handball on Dimitri and disallowed the goal.

Half-time Score: Mohun Bagan 0 – 0 FC Goa

In the 2nd half, the match started with the Gaurs more focused on maintaining possession.

A long ball from Sandesh and beaten by pace from Udanta forced Asish to foul him from behind, thereby receiving a yellow card.

At 62’, Boris got a yellow card for fouling Liston in a counter attack opportunity for the Mariners. A long cross to Liston from Tom Aldred, a minute later, was intercepted by Boris, who unfortunately headed it back to his goalkeeper, whereas the goalkeeper was off his line to catch the floating ball himself. Miscommunication resulted in the headed ball to roll into the empty net and the Mariners got the lead in the match.

Mohun Bagan 1-0 FC Goa | Boris Singh (Own Goal)

However, the match was far from over. At 67’, Borja passed the ball long to Yasir. Ashique, being far from him, took time to cover up, allowing him to pass it for Iker to shoot. Luckily, Liston was there to slide in a prevent a shot at goal.

With the scent of victory, the full packed stadium of 61000 fans started the Mexican Bengali Wave. 

Mohun Bagan kept the pressure up. At 70’, Stewart dribbled inside the box along the sidelines and passed the ball for Dimitri to score but the goalkeeper got to it first. In the next minute, another defense pass of the Gaurs was intercepted by Liston, who smashed a knuckle ball that whizzed past the 2nd post, missing the net by a few inches.

After the water break at 75’, Cummings came on in place of Dimitri. The fans cheered to support his comeback after a subpar performance this season. The pace of the game intensified. Both the teams tried to score in the next 10 minutes, but the defense stood strong to deny any half-chances. This showed how close the fight between the two best teams of India is like.

In 93’, Cummings snatched the ball from Udanta and started the counter attack but was stopped soon after. In the next minute, Cummings pressed Sandesh who was unable to control a backpass. A timely touch to the bouncing ball made its way to Stewart, who placed it in the 2nd post. This was the final nail in the coffin for the match.

Mohun Bagan 2-0 FC Goa | Greg Stewart

A minute later, the final whistle blew. Mohun Bagan won the final match of the season with a 2-0 final scoreline.

FC Goa had scored in each of their last 23 games, the longest scoring streak by a team in ISL, but their streak ended at VYBK on Saturday. Their strikers were failed to climb the unsurmountable wall of defense and the Mariners secured another clean sheet this season.

With this win, Mohun Bagan became the first team in Indian Football history to accumulate 1000* points in National League games. Tom Aldred was declared the man of the match. He made two crucial tackles and one clearance. He also delivered 24 successful passes in the match. He was an important part of the back four that secured the winand a clean sheet this match.

After the match, all the players gathered to lift the ISL Shield for the second time. The Green and Maroon Squad became Champions of India two years in a row. They also secured an Asian Champions League 2 Group Stage slot. 

Mohun Bagan proved how Champions play and win matches. They showed that table toppers are on the top for a reason, because others cannot defeat them easily. With a dominating performance from the team, coach and support staff, Mohun Bagan has won the ISL Shield this season and the ISL League has come to an end. 

However, this season is far from over. ISL Playoffs and Super Cup are next in line from April and Mohun Bagan will play their heart out to win these two trophies as well.


Author : Anik Nandi 


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