Looking back at Mohun Bagan's Durand Cup 2023 campaign

Mohun Bagan are the defending champions of the Durand Cup.

India’s oldest football tournament, Durand Cup, will return with its 133rd edition on July 27, 2024. 24 teams will contest in it and have been divided into six groups. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the reigning champions, have been placed in Group A together.

Group A matches between the two Kolkata heavyweights and the Indian Air Force squad and I-League second division outfit, Downtown Heroes, will be intriguing.

Last season, Mohun Bagan lifted their 17th Durand Cup title, the most by any club in the tournament’s history. Under Juan Ferrando’s astute tactical leadership, the Kolkata heavyweights dominated the Durand Cup and were without a doubt the best team in the 2023 campaign.

Their thrilling victory over East Bengal on the final day of play allowed them to clinch the title. To earn a spot in the final against the Red and Gold, they also produced an incredible comeback against FC Goa in the semi-finals, when they were behind by a goal in the 23rd minute.

This piece explores the Green and Maroons’ Durand Cup 2023 campaign and highlights how they set yet another milestone that will go down in Indian football history.

The Group

The Kolkata heavyweights were in Group A alongside arch-rivals East Bengal, Bangladesh Army and Punjab FC. Mohun Bagan were off to a flying start in the Durand Cup 2023, as they registered a 5-0 victory over Bangladesh Army in their opener, that saw one-way traffic at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

Next, they were up against Punjab FC. The Green and Maroons secured three crucial points from the game with a comfortable two-goal cushion. This game also confirmed their berth in the knockout rounds. Mohun Bagan’s final game in the group was the Kolkata Derby.

Though Nandhakumar Sekar’s 61st-minute strike sealed it for the Red and Gold, little did they know that they would be facing off against each other once again in the final.

Knockout Rounds

Mohun Bagan emerged as the best second-placed team at the end of the group. In the quarter-finals, the Green and Maroons took on ISL heavyweights Mumbai City FC.

Jason Cummings, from the spot, gave Mohun Bagan an early lead in the first half. The goal was canceled out by Jorge Pereyra Diaz’s 28th-minute equalizer. However, it took Manvir Singh only two minutes after the opposition’s equalizer to reclaim the lead.

A comfortable 3-1 victory to progress to the semi-finals was sealed by Anwar Ali’s attempt in the 63rd minute. The Kolkata heavyweights locked horns with the Gaurs in the semi-finals. Noah Sadoui scored in the 23rd minute to give the lead to FC Goa.

Once again, it was Jason Cummings who converted from the spot, canceling out the goal from Goa’s Moroccan linchpin. In the 61st minute, Mohun Bagan’s Albanian target man, Armando Sadiku’s strike sealed their spot in the final of the Durand Cup 2023.

The Finale

In the final of the Durand Cup 2023, it was time for another Kolkata Derby at the host city’s iconic venue. The stalemate remained intact in the first half.

The match drew 55, 423 people who were rooting for their chosen team to win. In the 62nd minute, Anirudh Thapa earned a second yellow card for excessive rough play, reducing Mohun Bagan to 10 men.

When it looked like the match was heading towards being played beyond regulation time, their Australian superstar Dimitri Petratos broke the deadlock in the 71st minute, which transpired to be enough for Mohun Bagan to win the Durand Cup for a record 17th time.

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