Looking back at when Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC locked horns in the ISL final

Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC have always played nail-biting matches in ISL.

Mohun Bagan are ready to face off against Mumbai City FC for the third time in the 2023-24 Indian Super League (ISL) season in the final at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Saturday (May 4). A lot is riding on this game for both teams.

For the Mariners, it’s their opportunity to win the ISL double (Shield and Cup) for the first time. The Islanders aim to get revenge for coming up short in the ISL league championship race and finish their season with a trophy. With both teams having one win apiece against each other this season, the final is expected to be a feisty and action-packed affair.

This will also be a ‘rematch’ of sorts and the second time these two sides have locked horns in an ISL final. The last time that happened was back in the 2020-21 ISL campaign. In that season, however, Mumbai City managed to pip the Kolkata heavyweights to the ISL Shield championship based on a superior head-to-head record. That is why the final, held at an empty Fatorda Stadium in Goa, had much riding on it.

The atmosphere for the final didn’t make it seem like one, with the stands empty. But the two sets of players worked hard to ensure those watching on TV witnessed an entertaining finale. Antonio Habas managed the Mariners back then too, but things didn’t exactly go according to plan.

To be fair, it did go like that in the initial stages. The Mariners took an 18th-minute lead thanks to a clinical finish from their Australian forward David Williams. They looked to be in control of the game, but then disaster struck. A hopeful long ball from Mumbai City was misjudged by defender Tiri, who headed the ball into his net after a case of miscommunication with Arindam Bhattacharya.

Habas ensured that his side played the second half on the front foot and took the fight to Mumbai. They played some incisive attacking football, but their finishing was awry and attempts were saved by Amrinder Singh. But just as the game seemed to be heading to extra-time, a moment of calamity sunk the Kolkata heavyweights.

Mumbai City’s Mourtada Fall hit a hopeful long-ball uplift that substitute Bart Ogbeche decided to chase in the middle of Tiri and Sandesh Jhingan. Bhattacharya, sensing danger, decided to come off his goal and tried to collect the ball with his chest. He only ended up miscontrolling it horribly, allowing Ogbeche to intercept and leaving himself in a vulnerable position.

Arindam tried to make up and alongside Tiri tried to close down Ogbeche’s angle to shoot at goal. However, the  Nigerian striker produced a brilliant dummy to leave them both on the ground and lay it to Bipin Singh – who struck a clever shot past Sandesh Jhingan (who was standing in the goalie) into the back of the net. This ended up being the deciding factor to help Mumbai City win their first-ever ISL trophy.

The Islanders needed their share of luck to win on the day, while individual mistakes ousted the Mariners. Mumbai City will aim for a repeat of this result when they take the field in front of a jam-packed Salt Lake Stadium – while Mohun Bagan aim to get revenge by getting another decisive win over the Islanders to lift the ISL title.

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