Kolkata: Mohun Bagan SG stayed on course for a rare ‘double’ in Indian Super League, beating Odisha FC 2-0 in the second leg of semifinals and 3-2 on aggregate to reach the final on Sunday.
Trailing 1-2 in the first leg of semifinals, Antonio Lopez Habas’ team turned it around in front of 62,007 spectators at the Salt Lake Stadium with goals from Jason Cummings (22nd minute) and Sahal Abdul Samad (90+3) sealing the deal and confirming their passage to the title round for the second successive season.
Two weeks after clinching their maiden Winners’ Shield, the defending ISL champions are now waiting to welcome either Mumbai City FC or FC Goa in the final, which will be held at the Salt Lake Stadium on May 4.
Habas’ team is also staring at the prospect of emulating Mumbai City’s feat in winning both the Shield and the league in the same season.
With much at stake, both teams kept challenging each other throughout 90 minutes. It was an entertaining contest spiced with hits and misses.
The onus was more on Mohun Bagan to take the bull by the horns, but they also ran the risk of being sliced open on every slip by Roy Krishna and Co.
Habas employed a high defensive high line in a virtual 3-2-4-1 formation to embrace Odisha’s challenge with both discipline and boldness.
However, such a system comes with its own risks and rewards. Krishna’s pace and potency down the right always left Bagan full-back Subhasish Bose and others searching for answers. At least on three such occasions in the first 45 minutes, Bagan survived scares born of the Fijian’s feet. Anwar Ali first cleared the danger with a nick-of-the-time intervention, Diego Mauricio then failed to keep Krishna’s cutback on target and Hector Yuste — who failed to prevent Krishna from scoring Odisha’s winner in the first leg — rose to the occasion, denying Isak Ralte with a goalline save.
Thus reprieved, Bagan ended the first half with the reward. Petratos, receiving the ball from Liston Colaco, tested Amrinder Singh with a snap shot. Although the Odisha goalkeeper managed to block it, Cummings reacted quickest to tap in the rebound. Odisha protested for an offside but as the assistant referee’s flag stayed down, Cummings was already in the embrace of his teammates, celebrating and sending the loud and boisterous stands into rapture.
The second half was more open. Bagan — who were showing more intention of winning the contest within regulation time — should have swelled the lead in the 58th minute. Liston Colaco’s delivery across the face of goal found no taker to make the most of it. Manvir retrieved it at the other end and sent it back into the Odisha FC box. Anirudh Thapa met it with a deft header only to see the ball roll down through the legs of Amrinder and miss the far post by a whisker.
Odisha kept soaking up the pressure, perhaps trying to turn it into a battle of attrition as extra-times loomed. But when Manvir raided their box in the third minute of stoppage time, it became the decisive moment. His pacey run left Odisha defence in tatters and as he sent it towards the goal, Sahal --- who replaced Thapa in the 71st minute --- ghosted in from behind. Just like the first goal, Amrinder managed to block the first attempt by Sahal, but the ball bounced up to hit the Bagan substitute and went in.
Odisha threw the kitchen sink in search of a goal which could have taken the contest into extra time, but Bagan held their nerves, fighting on the back of their pluck and luck in crossing the finishing line.