Mohun Bagan stunned by Ahal's late winner in AFC Champions League 2 opening fixture

The Mariners conceded a late goal in the 82nd minute to suffer a defeat at their home.

Mohun Bagan have been stunned by Turkmenistan’s Ahal FK, who edged the defending ISL champions with a late winner at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The match, which saw both sides going toe to toe for the first win of the AFC Champions League 2 campaign, ended in heartbreak for the Mariners.

Jose Molina’s boys proved to be the second-best side in their first continental fixture this season. Enwer Annayew scored a late winner in the 82nd minute for Ahal to put the game to bed. This win has awarded the Turkmen club with crucial three points in an away fixture, giving them an incredible start to their campaign in ACL 2.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant succumbed to a 1-0 loss against Ahal FK in their AFC Champions League Two 2025-26 opener at home! #IndianFootball #Mariners #MBSG pic.twitter.com/8KfSfNeegp

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 16, 2025

Also Read: Mohun Bagan vs Ahal FK Live: Follow AFC Champions League Two Live Updates

Early momentum with Ahal FK

The first half was a cagey affair between the two sides, with the visiting side having a slight edge. In the initial minutes of the game, Mohun Bagan kept possession, but as the game progressed, Ahal FK gained some control of the proceedings. The major threat for Ahal in the first half was Kiyan Nassiri who was making some blazing runs on the right wing.

Mohun Bagan’s first two corners came courtesy of Kiyan’s industriousness on the wing. However, the lack of creativity in the midfield from the likes of Sahal Abdul Samad led to Mohun Bagan being rusty in creating goal-scoring chances.

Neither team could break the deadlock at the end of the first half. But the momentum was in Ahal’s favour as they dictated the game with the ball in their possession in the last twenty minutes. The Turkmen club created a few chances as well. They came closest to finding an opener in the 31st minute when a cross from the wing hit the post and deflected away.

Positive start for Mohun Bagan in second half

The Mariners started the second half on a contrary note. The defending ISL champions got an early corner in the second half, in the 46th minute, which was punched to safety by the Ahal goalkeeper. The intent was clear from Jose Molina’s team as they were in desperate pursuit of the goal.

However, the midfield was an Achilles heel for the ISL side. The lack of solidity in the midfield was allowing Ahal to play between the lines and find passes through the centre of the park. One of those passes found Berenov, who took a brilliant shot in the 56th minute to test the Vishal Kaith. With this shot, things started to change as the Turkmen club clawed their way back into the game.

Wasteful Mariners

Jose Molina made a crucial double substitution in the 57th minute to bring in Anirudh Thapa and Jamie Maclaren. These two changes introduced vigour in Mohun Bagan’s attack. Maclaren got a chance to make an instant impact in the game as a mess-up in the midfield from Ahal gave him a chance to take a shot on target on his first touch of the match, but he was later declared offside.

The best chance in the second half also had Maclaren playing his part. In the 68th minute, Mohun Bagan came close to finding an opener. An incisive pass from Thapa split open Ahal’s defense, finding Cummings, who gave a diagonal grounded pass to Maclaren on the far post.

The former Melbourne City FC player took the shot, but the narrow angle prevented him from registering his name on the scoresheet. Sensing an opportunity, Molina introduced his new signing Robinho to create more attacking chances.

The Brazilian had a positive impact on the game. His best contribution came in the 81st minute when he played an inch-perfect diagonal ball to Sahal Abdul Samad on the opposite flank. The Kerala midfielder received the ball with an immaculate first touch, but his shot went wide, averting the danger for Ahal.

Later stunner from Ahal to shock Mohun Bagan

The last 15 minutes of the game were dominated by the visiting side. They had grown in confidence after holding Mohun Bagan to a 0-0 scoreline for the majority of the game, and now they had a chance to extract the best result from the game – a win.

The 19-year-old super sub Enwer Annayew stunned the hopeful crowd at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan with his moment of brilliance. In the 82nd minute, Ahal made inroads from the left wing, which left Asish Rai clueless. The quick movement from Ahal players caught Apuia and Thapa off-guard, who were late in tracking back, giving Annayew a chance to receive the pass from wing and take a shot.

Enwer Annayew’s low-lying lying powerful shot found the bottom right corner, beating Vishal Kaith to find the all-important opener, which proved to be the decisive goal for the visiting side. This goal shut the shop for Mohun Bagan, snatching three points from them in a home fixture.

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