Mohun Bagan SG stun NorthEast United FC despite conceding early | ISL 2023-24
Mohun Bagan SG (MBSG) returned to winning ways and scripted a clinical 3-1 comeback victory over NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati in the ISL 2023-24 clash on Friday. After conceding early, the Mariners roared back with goals from Deepak Tangri, Jason Cummings and Subhasish Bose.
Dealing with a host of injuries, Juan Ferrando still managed to string together a substantial lineup thanks to Mohan Bagan's bench strength. But the lack of stability did hamper their momentum initially as the Highlanders broke the deadlock with an audacious strike from Phalguni Singh.
In the fourth minute, the 28-year-old midfielder received the ball outside the box, before creating room between Anirudh Thapa and Brendan Hamil. Phalguni whipped in a dipping ball past an outstretched Vishal Kaith. The Mariners were left stunned but on a positive note, they had plenty of time left to regroup and formulate a response.
While the outfield players of NEUFC were stitching together a resilient performance, Mirshad Michu undid his team's efforts with a rookie mistake from a set-piece situation. Liston Colaco delivered an inviting cross from a Mariners freekick and the opposition keeper failed to collect the ball. Mirshad ended up punching the ball straight to Deepak Tangri, whose unintended touch ended up pushing the ball into the NorthEast net.
The Mariners were gifted the equalizer against the run of play and pushed forward thereafter. In the 28th minute, MBSG carved open a glorious opportunity with some sleek team movement. Anirudh Thapa found Armando Sadiku and the latter headed the ball across the face of the goal. Jason Cummings was perfectly positioned to stab home the ball into the open net.
After falling behind early on in the tie, Mohun Bagan were able to take the lead. Once they were dictating the pace of the match, NEUFC were left chasing shadows and lost the momentum they had garnered initially. While the goal-mouth action abated going into the half-time break, the feistiness was still evident. Tondonba Singh went into the referee's books for a rash challenge on Kiyan Nassiri.
As the referee blew the half-time whistle, the Green and Maroon Brigade went into the dressing room happier of the two sides.
The start to the second half packed a similar intensity as NorthEast United FC looked to regain parity. However, they were left handicapped in the 54th minute, when Tondonba Singh received his second yellow of the night after a reckless foul on Kiyan. Amid protest from his teammates, the referee gave the defender the marching orders without any hesitation.
From there on, Mohun Bagan's victory became a mere formality as NEUFC lost their edge in the clash. The introduction of Hugo Boumous, Dimitri Petratos and Manvir Singh added to the Mariners' attacking efficiency and soon they bagged their third goal of the night.
In the 71st minute, Colaco fed Subhasish Bose down the left flank with a wonderfully weighted pass and the Mohun Bagan skipper lashed a shot at goal to find the bottom corner. As the scoreline read 3-1, the NEUFC hearts hit rock bottom and the referee brought an end to their misery after five minutes of additional time.
With the victory, Juan Ferrando's men climbed to third on the points table while the Highlanders slumped to their fourth defeat of the season.