Jose Molina explains what caused Mohun Bagan's shock loss to Jamshedpur FC in 2024-25 ISL semis first leg

Jose Molina’s Mohun Bagan will look for a comeback in the second leg.

Jose Molina’s Mohun Bagan went down to a 2-1 defeat to Jamshedpur FC in the first leg of their 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) semi-final at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Thursday (April 3).

The two sides scored in the first half through Javier Siverio’s close-range goal and Jason Cummings’ brilliant free kick, but Javi Hernandez’s late winner helped his side get an advantage heading into the second leg.

Reflecting on the loss and his team’s perrformance on the night, Jose Molina commented: “In the first half, we had possession but we failed to finish the actions. In the second half, it was a bit better with more chances. The goalkeeper saved a few chances, but when you play against a team with a line of six-seven defenders, it’s not easy to score or to finish the actions.

“We played well, had our clear chances. In the beginning of the second half, we had two clear chances to score and if we did that we’d have won 3-1. But we didn’t score and finally they took the advantage in the last moment with one counter-attack. They played their cards really well and were successful tonight,” he also added.

When asked if the absence of Manvir Singh and Lalengmawia Ralte impacted his side’s performance, Molina stated: “The game plan was not to play with Manvir but to play with Sahal Abdul Samad on the right. We did some different things, but I’m absolutely happy with Sahal’s performance how we understood the different way to play in attack.

“The only thing is we played against a good team which defended deep, it’s not easy to play against teams who play in that way. Sometimes you are not successful in front of the goal, that is football, but in terms of performances, I’m happy. I recognize that we can still play better, but I’m happy with the performance of after 25 days of not playing an official match,” he also claimed.

Finally, Molina dismissed claims that the intensity created by the Jamshedpur FC supporters hampered his side’s performance, stating: “I don’t think so, it was a great atmosphere here today. It’s been great to play in front of this atmosphere. It’s similar in the way like when it comes to pressure. We want to play in stadiums with fans, playing in a stadium with nobody is so sad, man.

“To play here is great, even if the atmosphere is against you. The atmostphere will be even better at the Salt Lake Stadium, but it’s great here. They tried to play their attack, the team the pitch and the fans on the stands. The problem wasn’t on being daunted by the fans, it was a football problem. We could’ve avoided the first goal and maybe the same for the second goal. But sometimes those things happen, just learn about that, keep going and prepare for the second leg. We need to be ready for the next match,” he finished with.

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