Kolkata: Mohun Bagan Super Giant Sunday became the first team in Indian Super League (ISL) history to defend the title with a 1-0 win over Odisha FC with Dimitrios Petratos scoring the all-important goal in the added time in a dramatic match in Kolkata.
Australian forward Petratos (90+3rd) struck in the third minute of the added time in front of ecstatic home supporters at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium.
By virtue of clinching the ISL Shield, MBSG also booked a berth in the AFC Champions League 2, the continent’s second-tier club competition. They retained the League Shield they had won in the 2023-24 season.
After the win in their 22nd league game, Mohun Bagan Super Giant secured 52 points and emerged Shield Winners with two matches to spare.
Their nearest rivals, FC Goa, have collected 42 points from 21 matches, and they cannot catch MBSG even if they win all their remaining three matches.
The Jose Molina-coached team has notched 16 victories and four draws, and suffered only two losses.
After a cagey start, Odisha FC found their first opening in the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defensive third from the inside channel of the right flank. Hugo Boumous unlocked the Mariners’ defence with a through ball that met Rahul KP perfectly at close range.
Rahul rushed into the effort though and went for a powerful shot, instead of trying to slot the ball into the net. As a result, he was unable to even land the ball on target in the 19th minute.
Lalengmawia Ralte, who has been an engine at the centre of the park for the Mariners, showed that he possesses some offensive bite too as he looked to cap off a Mohun Bagan Super Giant attacking endeavour with a neat pass to Jamie Maclaren on the right side of the 18-yard box in the 31st minute.
Unlike Rahul, Maclaren could direct his shot on target but it was saved and instead diverted for a corner by Odisha FC goalkeeper Amrinder Singh.
Amrinder was kept busy as the dynamic home side frontline joined hands to test him between the posts. Greg Stewart did well to halt an Odisha FC defensive build-up by recovering possession in the middle at the edge of the box and hurled in a quick shot aimed for the bottom left corner, which was thwarted off by the visiting custodian.
Maclaren was positioned perfectly to pounce upon the rebound and he tried to drill the ball past the goal-line from a narrow angle on right, but Amrinder adjusted and immediately got his hand to the end of the ball near the half-time whistle.
Stewart kept probing the Juggernauts in the second half of the match too. In the 60th minute mark, he thundered into the Odisha FC box and laid up a pass for Manvir Singh at the centre. Manvir couldn’t hold the line of the pass delivered to him and instead misplaced it down the right side to squander a promising goal-scoring chance.
Petratos made an ambitious effort from outside of the 18-yard box in the 82nd minute, but Amrinder continued to be solid and blocked the effort in time.
The match decisively shifted in the favour of the home team right afterwards, as Mourtada Fall tripped and fouled Maclaren near the Odisha FC box, getting sent off and reducing the visitors to 10 men.
Petratos stayed in the hunt for the winner even in the added time and eventually sealed the game, as well as the championship, for the Mariners with a powerful and precise shot from outside the box, which rattled the bottom left corner of the goal.
PTI
