Looking back at all ISL finals Mohun Bagan have played in

Mohun Bagan have a mixed bag of results in the ISL finals.

The 2023-24 Indian Super League final is now just days away as Mohun Bagan get ready to face off against old foes Mumbai City FC at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. This will mark the first time that the iconic Kolkata stadium hosts an ISL final, but not at all the first time that the Mariners play on this big occasion.

The Kolkata heavyweights have been pretty dominant in the ISL and have undoubtedly been the best team in the 2023-24 ISL season. They fought their way to win the ISL Shield championship in dramatic fashion with their final-day win over Mumbai City. They also made an inspired comeback in the ISL semi-final to book a place in the final against the Islanders.

For Antonio Habas, this will mark the fourth occasion in which he guides a team into the ISL finale. He has won the ISL title twice as a head coach already and will aim to make it three on Saturday (May 4). With that being said, let’s look back at the ISL finals that Mohun Bagan have been a part of so far.

2021 ISL final

The last time that Habas actually managed to guide the Mariners to the ISL final was back in the 2020-21 season. Played behind closed doors, the Kolkata heavyweights also faced off against Mumbai City in the ISL final. There was a lot riding on this clash, mostly because of the Mariners losing on in the ISL Shield race because of an inferior head-to-head record with the Islanders.

Habas was determined to get his revenge, but things did not go according to plan for his side at all. Even though his side took an early lead through David Williams, two silly errors undid all their good work.

Amid the Mariners’ dominance, Mumbai City got an equalizer against the run of play when Ahmed Jahouh’s hopeful long ball was stumbled into the back of the net through a poor Tiri own-goal. The Mariners threw in the kitchen sink and created a lot of scoring chances in the second half, but failed to score. In the end, in additional time, a goalkeeping error from Arindam Bhattacharya allowed Bartholomew Ogbeche to lay it off for Bipin Singh, who scored the winner to hand Mumbai City the ISL Trophy.

2022-23 ISL final

Mohun Bagan were able to get into the ISL final in the 2022-23 season in an inspired fashion. They defeated Odisha FC in the ISL knockout clash before defeating Hyderabad FC 0-0 (4-3 on penalties) to book a place in the final against Bengaluru FC. Played at the Fatorda Stadium, both the teams cancelled each other out in a dramatic game. The Mariners got a 14th-minute lead through Dimitri Petratos’ penalty – but Bengaluru got their equalizer deep into the end of the first half through Sunil Chhetri’s spot-kick.

The Blues took control in the second half and threatened the Kolkata heavyweights, which paid off when Roy Krishna scored a clever goal in the 78th minute. However, the Mariners were not to be undone. They earned another penalty in the 85th minute, which was sweetly converted by Petratos to force the game into extra-time.

Neither of the teams had enough energy to do much in the 30 minutes and a penalty shootout was called to action. Here, however, Vishal Kaith turned out hero – saving Bruno Ramires’ penalty and seeing Pablo Perez sky his spot-kick to help the Mariners win their first-ever ISL title. Habas will aim to ensure that his side can defend their title by defeating Mumbai City again in the final.

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