Head coach Jose Molina had put up a brave face when asked about Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s faulty defence at the news conference on Monday, the eve of their Durand Cup semi-final clash against Bengaluru FC (BFC).
At the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday, his defenders did little to vindicate the Spaniard’s brave face, but the overall talent in their forward line saved Molina the blushes.
Just as it was in the quarter-final against Punjab FC last week, Mohun Bagan recorded yet another come-from-behind win via a shootout to reach the final of the Durand Cup for the 30th time, much to the joy of the 18,342-strong turnout.
On this occasion, they overturned a two-goal deficit and then prevailed 4-3 in the tie-breaker over BFC to set a final date with NorthEast United FC on Saturday.
Minutes after goalkeeper Vishal Kaith blocked Aleksandar Jovanovic’s shot to mark celebrations in the Bagan camp, their fans from the gallery opposite the VIP box came out with a couple of tifos, while the slogan “We want justice” (referring to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident) was also heard a few times.
As for the match, it was relief for Bagan as they managed to come out of jail once again.
In the shootout, Jason Cummings, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco and Dimitrios Petratos were on target for Bagan, while for BFC, substitute Edgar Antonio Mendez, Rahul Bheke and Pedro Payeras scored.
Even after substitute Halicharan Narzary’s poor attempt, BFC were still in the game when their goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved Greg Stewart’s shot. But Kaith once again turned out to be Bagan’s hero when he denied Jovanovic and confirmed victory for his team.
Earlier, the pressure was doubled on Bagan when Vinith Venkatesh consolidated BFC’s lead six minutes into the second half after Sunil Chhetri had converted a penalty late in the first half to give his team the lead.
Off a lob, Jorge Pereyra Diaz evaded Kaith and centred to the right for an unmarked Vinith, who just had to tap the ball into an open net.
During that phase of the game, even Bagan’s midfield appeared non-existent. Surprisingly, despite a two-goal lead, BFC went into a shell. With almost six players manning their defence, BFC’s ultra-defensive football simply allowed Bagan to launch one attack after another before they finally reduced the margin via a Petratos penalty in the 68th minute.
A needless foul on Manvir earned Bagan the spot-kick off which, Petratos — getting a start alongside Cummings — scored. Molina’s decision to push Anirudh Thapa, who was playing as a defensive midfielder till then, close to the final third also helped Bagan add thrust to their attacks and put the BFC defence under further pressure.
The ploy paid off. With five minutes to go before regulation time, Thapa unleashed a superb right-footer from at least 20 yards to help Bagan restore parity. An attempted clearance off Petratos’ corner fell to Thapa, who finished it to perfection.
Even when they were trailing 0-2, Bagan had chances aplenty which the likes of Liston and substitute Stewart squandered. Liston was just a few yards away from goal soon after BFC scored their second, but he delayed in taking the shot.
Then, thanks to a poor shot from Gurpreet, Stewart had a brilliant opportunity to convert, but he headed the ball wide.
However, with BFC inviting pressure on themselves by being overtly defensive, Bagan eventually had their way through. Their sustained pressure did force unforced errors from the BFC defenders.
Chhetri will once again return empty-handed from his second home. He missed an easy chance in the 13th minute. On a one-on-one situation with Bagan keeper Kaith, Chhetri delayed taking the shot. He might have got a goal, but it was not his day.
