Mohun Bagan Super Giants defeated FC Goa 2-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25, keeping their home record unblemished.
It was a thrilling encounter, with both teams producing numerous opportunities. However, the Mariners secured their 17th win of the season thanks to Boris Singh’s own goal and Greg Stewart’s late strike.
With this win, they remained unbeaten at home this season during the league stage. They also scored 56 points this season, the most in a single ISL campaign.
Mohun Bagan Super Giants got out to a strong start, making penetration into FC Goa’s defensive third early on. Within the opening 10 minutes, both Greg Stewart and Dimitrios Petratos had chances to put the team up.
However, FC Goa nearly caught the opposition off guard on a fast break when Rowllin Borges freed Borja Herrera in space with a precise long ball. The Spaniard located Iker Guarrotxena and sent the ball behind him. However, the latter’s attempt was much off-target.
Minutes later, Udanta Singh surged down the left channel, but Tom Aldred was in position to stop him.
While the hosts started well, FC Goa improved as they had more genuine opportunities. Guarrotxena kept the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defenders on their toes with his incredible agility. He came near to scoring on a few occasions, but Aldred and others did enough to keep the game tied.
Borja attempted a long-range shot in the 31st minute, but Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem saved it. In the 37th minute, a similar situation occurred, this time from a free kick, although Dheeraj did his utmost to keep Borja’s shot out, and the ball was later cleared by the defence.
Early in the second quarter, Udanta Singh made a fantastic run down the left wing but was ruthlessly halted by Asish Rai, who was also given a yellow card for the infringement. Jose Molina then replaced him with Dippendu Biswas in the 57th minute.
MBSG ultimately seized the lead in the 62nd minute after blunders by Boris Singh and Hrithik Tiwari. Boris’ headed ball crashed into the net, catching Hrithik off guard.
Following the goal, the hosts increased their dominance, with Liston Colaco and Stewart coming close to scoring in rapid succession. Following the refreshment break, Jason Cummings and Dejan Drazic were introduced by their respective coaches.
The final phase of the game saw MBSG play percentage football because they had already secured the lead. Later, the hosts increased their lead when Cummings fed Stewart through on goal, and the Scotsman tucked it beyond Hrithik to seal the victory as MBSG lifted the ISL League Shield in front of 61,591 fans.
Both teams will advance to the ISL semifinals by finishing in the top two.
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