Bagan were off to a good start to the CFL season with 3 wins and a draw in 4 matches. Their newest addition in defence, Alex Saji, was registered into CFL Squad to get him crucial gametime. Deepak Tangri featured in the Starting XI as well.
Mohun Bagan fielded this team against Calcutta Customs Club:
Alex Saji makes his debut for Mohun Bagan. Here's how we line up against Calcutta Customs.
— MBFT (@MBFT89) August 1, 2026
{Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT} pic.twitter.com/Ostk31YGzl
In the first half, Calcutta Customs played a fabulous game. Riki Ghorami was phenomenal on the right wing, often overcoming the challenges posed by Robilal and Umer. The flurry of attacks and crosses were thwarted by Alex Saji and Deeprovat. The replacement keeper made many crucial saves to keep the game alive. Bagan failed to get a foothold early. The wet pitch in the drizzling rain caused much worry to the Mariners, whose passing was inconsistent and often intercepted. Sayan tried to curl a top corner from the left wing which went high again. He did set up Suhail a couple of time, but nothing came of it. Rohit seemed out of place in his new CAM role. Tanmay made more mistakes than usual and the midfield control went out of hand. Deepak Tangri was rusty in the match, often leaving spaces for the opponents to penetrate from the middle.
It's 0-0 at the break!
— MBFT (@MBFT89) August 1, 2026
{ Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT } pic.twitter.com/PnCXl5Tdfh
In the second half, after Bivan was subbed in, Mohun Bagan was charged up to attack. He dribbled many times down the right wing and put in perfect crosses, but the headers were lacking the golden touch. The more the match progressed, the players got more visibly frustrated instead of increasing their intent to gather points from the match.
Calcutta Customs Club got a penalty due to handball of Roshan Singh in the box. Unlike the previous match, this time the opponents made good use of it. Deeprovat dives in the right direction but the top right corner shot found its destination. Rahul Soren gave the lead to CCC.
A cross went into the box in the dying minutes, which tempted keeper Somnath to rush out. He barely got a hand to it. Bivan took a touch on the landing ball to set up Suhail to score into the empty net, but the defenders got to the ball before him. The final whistle blew.
Pathetic decision making from Bastab and Boys, as Mohun Bagan suffers the first Defeat of the season.
— MBFT (@MBFT89) August 1, 2026
{Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT} pic.twitter.com/BPbDB3c4gh
Mohun Bagan was uncoordinated in this match. Constant reshuffling of players from their preferred positions has brought in more chaos than creativity. Suhail needs to bounce back from his current terrible form. Coach Bastab Roy must rethink his gameplan for the upcoming games, if he wishes to qualify for the Knockout Stage and defeat arch rivals. The players need to get into the right headspace to coordinate amongst one another and give a concerted performance in the game. Alex Saji played well but couldn't prevent the loss on his debut for Mohun Bagan.
🟢🔴 Club Debut ft. Alex Saji #40
— MBFT (@MBFT89) August 1, 2026
{ Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT } pic.twitter.com/KBoViJlRGe
Currently, the Green-and-Maroon brigade stand 3rd with 10 points in 5 matches. Bhawanipore and EBFC are 1st and 2nd with 13 points in 5 matches and 12 points in 4 matches, respectively.
Follow MBFT on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Telegram, Whatsapp & Google News to stay updated with all the Mohun Bagan & Indian Football related News & Updates. Jai Hind Jai Bharat! Joy Mohun Bagan!
