In a pulsating second-leg semifinal showdown of the Indian Super League, Mohun Bagan triumphed over Odisha FC in front of a roaring 62,000-strong home crowd at Kolkata’s iconic Vivekananda Yubhabharati Krirangan. With a stunning 2-0 victory, Mohun Bagan overturned their first-leg deficit and booked their ticket into the final.
The atmosphere was electrifying as fans packed in numbers, urging their beloved team forward from the starting whistle. Mohun Bagan, fuelled by the passionate support, came out with strong intent and determined to overturn their 2-1 loss in the first leg away fixture.
Mohun Bagan first big chance came within first minute of the match when Jason Cummings shot went over the bar. Mohun Bagan generated the attack from the both flanks and Odisha looked bemused and shaky in defense. Anirudh Thapa also intercepted one of Jahouh pass just outside the box with Amrinder out of his line but his shot was blocked.
Eventually, the breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Aussie striker Jason Cummings scored from a rebound. Liston made a forward run in the empty spaces on left hand side of the box and cut back to unmarked Dimi Petratos who took a sharp right footed strike which swerved on the very last moment. Amrinder failed to clear the ball properly because of the swerve and it was landed on the feet of Cummings. The fox in the box made no mistake and sending the crowd into frenzy and putting Mohun Bagan ahead on the score sheet and level on aggregate. The goal injected further belief into the team and intensified the pressure on Odisha FC.
As the match wore on, Mohun Bagan continued to dominate proceedings, with their attacking flair causing constant problems for the Odisha defense. Manvir causing problems from the right and Odisha’s defense failed to cope with the pressure. On 54th minute Manvir Singh uses his upper body to push away his defender and make his way into the box. He does not pass it across for Cummings who was wide open, and goes for goal himself which is a wrong option the match could have done and dusted then. Eventually his weak grounder was went into the hand of Amrinder. Also on 57th minute from a Manvir’s cross Thapa put on a glancing header within 5 yards of the goal and it went under the legs of Amrinder but agonisingly wide.
Despite resilient defending from the visitors, Mohun Bagan doubled their lead on the 93rd minute of the game, courtesy of Sahal Abdul Samad, who marked his return from injury with a crucial goal. This time too Manvir made a brilliant run from the left and enter into the box by outrunning 2 Odisha players. His pin point cross landed on the foot of Sahal who’s effort denied by Amrinder initially but the deflection went in favour of Sahal who put it on to the empty net.
The final whistle sparked scenes of jubilation among the Mohun Bagan’s faithful as their team sealed a memorable victory and booked their place in the ISL final for consecutive years. The players were hailed as heroes, with Cummings and Samad receiving special praise for their decisive contributions.
With this hard-fought win, Mohun Bagan demonstrated their championship credentials and will now set their sights on clinching the ISL title in front of their passionate supporters and complete the treble. As they prepare for the final showdown, the spirits are high in the Mohun Bagan camp, fuelled by the belief that they can go all the way and etch their names in ISL history as the only team to win both ISL shield and ISL Cup in a single season.
