Mohun Bagan vs Jamshedpur FC: Apuia's winner, Albino Gomes' performance and other talking points

Mohun Bagan will face Bengaluru FC in the ISL 2024-25 Finals.

Mohun Bagan stormed their way to the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) final with a dramatic 2-0 (3-2 on aggregate) win over Jamshedpur FC on Monday (7 April, 2025). With the help of a vocal home support at the Salt Lake Stadium, the Mariners broke the stubborn Men of Steel’s defensive resolve to book a place in the final against Bengaluru FC.

The match was a bit of a one-sided affair, but it had a lot suspense and thrill attached to it. Despite fighting extremely hard and working their socks off, Khalid Jamil’s side were ultimately undone by two second half goals from Jason Cummings and a late Lalengmawia Ralte winner. Here are the talking points from the thrilling second leg of this 2025 ISL semifinal.

A last minute goal from Apuia and Mohun Bagan have reached the ISL 2024-25 Final, where they face Sunil Chhetri's Bengaluru FC! #IndianFootball #ISL #LetsFootball #MBSGJFC #Mariners pic.twitter.com/AslgZ6Zg03

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) April 7, 2025

Super Albino Gomes Can Keep Head Held High

The biggest ‘victim’ of Jamshedpur FC going with an all-out defensive approach at the Salt Lake Stadium against Mohun Bagan was, of course, their goalkeeper Albino Gomes. The 31-year-old had a barrage of shots constantly thrown at his goal, but he didn’t exactly bulk under the pressure. Gomes popped up in the key areas to make a string of important saves, showcasing impressive resolve and confidence to frustrate the Mariners.

He ended up making seven saves in the game, which included some super stops to deny Jamie Maclaren and his fellow forwards. Albino might have ended the game with two goals conceded, but neither of them were his fault. He couldn’t do much against Cummings’ penalty and Apuia’s shot was too good to keep out.

Gomes ends the 2024-25 ISL campaign in bright fashion and has also set the record for most saves made by a goalkeeper in a single ISL campaign with 102 saves in the 2024-25 campaign. If Gomes can maintain his impressive work in the 2025 Super Cup and take Jamshedpur deep into the tournament, a call-up from the India squad wouldn’t be impossible in June.

Mohun Bagan’s Australian Magic comes up clutch once again

Mohun Bagan’s players realized that they faced a grave task against Jamshedpur FC when they witnessed them firmly parking the bus with the majority of their players hounding the box. This caused a lot of frustration for the majority of the Mariners players. Liston Colaco struggled to get a swipe at the goal, and Ashique Kuruniyan was mostly restricted to the left.

However, it once again took Mohun Bagan’s Australian magic to guide them to glory at the Salt Lake Stadium. Jason Cummings, especially, was an absolute livewire in the attacking areas. Cummings had 10 shot attempts in the game, seeing a lot of his dangerous attempts denied by the goalkeeper. He made no mistake when it came to converting the penalty and created some good chances, too.

Substitute Dimi Petratos, while not as impactful as Cummings, also added extra tension to the Jamshedpur defenders with his clever movement and positioning in the final third. In the end, when Mohun Bagan needed goals, it was their Australian magicians who provided to help them make the comeback from the first leg loss.

Jamshedpur FC’s ultra-regressive approach comes back to haunt them

The Men of Steel were quite shameless with their approach of playing the most negative football one could imagine in the second leg. From the first minute, their players sat back either inside or nearby their box, making it tough for the Mariners’ forwards to find free space or play their natural game in the frontline. However, ultimately, this risk did not pay off for Khalid Jamil.

His side played a very one-dimensional game with their defensive approach, focusing just on keeping out the Mariners’ shot and clearing away danger whenever it arrived in their box. Jamshedpur’s players didn’t even look interested to hurt the Mariners on the counterattack in a game when the majority of the Mohun Bagan team was deep in their half. The Jamshedpur players just hoofed the ball away upon receiving it, showing little desire to spark counter-attacks or run through the empty spaces in the wide areas.

Jamil’s stubbornness in trying to get a draw or dragging the game to a penalty shootout fell flat on its face, as his side’s deep defensive line ultimately gave Apuia quite a bit of room for his special goal.

Lalengmawia Ralte reserves first Mohun Bagan for the most perfect opportunity

Before the start of the Mohun Bagan-Jamshedpur FC game, not many would’ve tipped Lalengmawia Ralte to score the winning goal. That was mostly because of the fact that he didn’t get a single goal in the entire 2024-25 season for Mohun Bagan. The 24-year-old didn’t score any goals in the 24 matches in the ISL before this. In fact, he only had three shots on target in the entire campaign before this big game against Jamshedpur FC.

Well, it turns out that the midfielder decided to keep his best reserved for the most perfect opportunity. Ralte played a smart game against Jamshedpur, scanning the opponents’ approach and waiting the best time to strike. He struck the ball perfectly from long range, swerving the ball into the top corner to ensure that the brilliant Gomes could not save it.

In a game when the Mohun Bagan forwards were being frustrated by Jamshedpur’s stubborn defensive work, Ralte turned out to be their X-Factor. He chose the perfect game for his first Mohun Bagan goal, ensuring that it will be remembered for a long time by fans.

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