Mohun Bagan Super Giant got back their mojo as they thumped Mohammedan Sporting 3-0 in the ISL-XI match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. The deal was sealed in the first half itself as Bagan scored all three.

Jamie Maclaren got his first goal for Bagan in his first start in the eighth minute. A cross flew into the box for Greg Stewart who headed it behind for Maclaren to nod it in.

In the 31st minute, captain Subhasish Bose doubled the lead. Five minutes later, Stewart dribbled down the middle of the park, took a touch and punished the Mohammedan Sporting defence for allowing too much space with a smart finish.

Bagan could have won by a bigger margin. Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco and Ashique Kuruniyan missed easy chances. Three minutes after the hour-mark, Colaco missed the easiest chance of the night as he failed to convert from close.

Kuruniyan, who came in place of Stewart in the 82nd, had missed most of the 2023-24 season after suffering a knee injury during India’s King’s Cup match against Iraq in September last year.

He was given a warm welcome by the fans. Bagan coach Jose Molina was under pressure after lacklustre performances by his team. They had conceded seven goals in three matches and a clean sheet in the fourth must have made him happy.

The league now stops for the international break and Bagan’s first match after the restart will be the derby against East Bengal on October 19. These three points will give their confidence a big boost.

Mohammedan Sporting were expected to put up a fight after their win at Chennaiyin FC last week. Instead, they threw in the towel once Maclaren drew first blood. A decent number of Mohammedan Sporting supporters had turned up at the stadium
but they returned home disheartened.

The gap in quality between the two teams was clear. Bagan ran their rivals ragged. Subhasish was a constant threat on the left flank and was adjudged Man of the Match.