Tag: Mohun Bagan

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Mohun Bagan Faces In-Form Kerala Blasters

The Mariners find themselves in a precarious position after nine games, having suffered consecutive defeats against their nearest competitors in the last couple of matches….reports Asian Lite News

Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be gearing up for a crucial encounter at home as they take on the in-form Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday.

The Mariners find themselves in a precarious position after nine games, having suffered consecutive defeats against their nearest competitors in the last couple of matches.

The streak began with a gruelling 2-1 defeat at the home of Mumbai City FC, before FC Goa had a strong outing against them, wrapping up a 4-1 victory in their own backyard. Juan Ferrando will need to go back to the drawing board to do a lot of searching as a spate of injuries and the absence of key players give him a truncated squad to work with.

The club made a remarkable investment to strengthen the squad with the acquisition of multiple top-tier international and domestic players to further their ambitions at both the country as well as the continental level.

The latter came crashing down with their group-stage exit from the AFC Cup, but Ferrando has to salvage pride by competing for the topmost honours in all competitions at home. On the other hand, Kerala Blasters FC is a unit that seems eager to bring an end to their wait for the silverware this season.

The Ivan Vukomanovic-coached side has brushed aside concerns over the injury of skipper Adrian Luna with other senior and also inexperienced stars assuming responsibility and delivering the goods consistently against other teams. They swept aside Mumbai City FC by a 2-0 margin in the previous match, but can they replicate those heroics on the road too?

At stake for Mohun Bagan Super Giant is the chance to break this unwanted losing streak and get on top of the team that is placed just a place above them in the points table at the moment.

The Mariners could not have come up against a better opposition to do so though, as their unbeaten record against Kerala Blasters FC is something that Ferrando would want to hold dear to after this game.

Kerala Blasters FC have lost five times and drawn once in their six matches against the Mariners in the ISL. The Kochi-based club are amongst the three teams including Odisha FC and East Bengal FC that are yet to defeat the Mariners in the ISL.

Despite the spate of injuries in this campaign, Mohun Bagan have scored 19 goals so far among the most scored among all teams in the competition.

Kerala Blasters FC are on a roll after their clinical 2-0 win against Mumbai City FC even with the absence of captain Adrian Luna. They showed no signs of rustiness as the forwards stepped up and unleashed their impeccable potential with Dimitrios Diamantakos and Kwame Peprah scoring and setting a goal each, in addition to a brilliant defensive performance. The clean sheets would come as a relief for Vukomanovic, as the team has not conceded a goal in their previous two matches and the last time they went on a longer stretch was of three games in December 2014.

Mohun Bagan aren’t the ideal opposition to seal that feat though, as the home team has scored a goal in each of their last 10 matches in the top tier. The depth of Ferrando’s squad allows him to introduce quality substitutes and that has resulted in them scoring 10 goals in the second half of matches this season.

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India News Kerala

Gokulam Kerala defeat ATK Mohun Bagan by 4-2

Gokulam Kerala FC got their first booking of the game as Emil Benny received a yellow card for bringing down Manvir Singh outside the edge of the box in the 24th minute…reports Asian Lite News

ATK Mohun Bagan suffered a 2-4 loss at the hands of Gokulam Kerala in the opening match of the AFC Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Wednesday.

Vincento Alberto Anesse’s men took the lead through Luka Majcen (50′) only for it to be cancelled out by a Pritam Kotal equaliser (53′). The Malabrians struck back with two quick-fire goals from Rishad (57′), Majcen (65′), and super-sub Jithin (89′) to ensure they collected three points against the Mariners who failed to overturn the deficit despite a Liston Colaco free-kick (80′).

The Mariners started the contest on the frontfoot making the most of their possession, as Roy Krishna struck a long-range shot right after making an interception at the centre of the pitch, which was saved by Gokulam Kerala FC goalkeeper Rakshit Dagar in the 6th minute.

In the 16th minute, the Mariners continued to explode forward, this time through Liston Colaco on the left flank whose cross was squandered high above the post by Roy Krishna. Seconds later, Joni Kauko danced past the Malabarian midfield to find Roy Krishna open on the left wing who went for a shot from his weak foot but was denied by the post.

Then, the Malabarians put the Mariners on the backfoot after progressing forward on a counter through Jourdaine Fletcher who smashed it right in front of ATK Mohun Bagan keeper Amrinder Singh who comfortably saved it.

Gokulam Kerala FC got their first booking of the game as Emil Benny received a yellow card for bringing down Manvir Singh outside the edge of the box in the 24th minute.

Juan Ferrando’s men continued to trouble the Malabarian defence, this time through a brilliant one-two between David Williams and Krishna who found Kauko free in the box but the Finnish international placed his shot right in the hands of the shot-stopper Dargar.

The Green and Maroons were dealt with a blow as Tiri was replaced by Ashutosh Mehta, as the former had to be stretchered off the field as he suffered a huge blow on his knee after taking down Luka Majcen on the counter while also receiving a yellow card for the challenge.

Following an action packed first-half, both sides went goalless into the break.
At the start of the first half, Anesse’s men failed to capitalise as Luka Majcen missed a big chance after failing to convert from a pole position through a brilliantly put ball by Emil Benny.

The Malabarians drew first blood in the 50th minute through Luka Majcen, who was left unmarked inside the box and finished off from inside the box through a Tahir Zaman cross who did very well to cut back from the right wing to find Majcen.

With no time to spare, the Mariners levelled matters with a Kotal equaliser in the 53rd minute who tapped it in from a Colaco corner.

No sooner, Rishad found the net again for Gokulam Kerala FC with a calm and composed finish in the 57th minute, from a Fletcher pass who ran down the field to get hold of the ball, finding Rishad at the right time.

Eight minutes later, Anesse’s men showed thei prowess in front of goal again as their forward Majcen provided them with a two-goal cushion. Fletcher, using his physical strength, outmuscled Mehta and put it through for Majcen, who struck it right down the middle, through Amrinder’s legs to make it 3-1 for the Malabarians.

With the game continuously shifting from one end to the other, opportunities were plentiful for each side, giving the spectators value for their money.

In the 80th minute, the Mariners halved the deficit through a beautiful Colaco free-kick, taken from right outside the box. Colaco, known for his free-kicks, struck it at the far post with ease giving the keeper no time for a save.

The game swung in favour of Gokulam Kerala FC again when substitute Sreekuttan was through on goal after gliding past two defenders but failed to produce a goal after striking the shot way past the goal in the 81st minute.

In the dying stages of the game, Anesse’s men produced magic through Majcen and Jithin, as the former placed a line-breaking pass and the latter struck it in first touch in the right bottom corner to make it four for the Malabarians.

Gokulam Kerala FC made the Mariners pay for their missed chances and asserted domination in return, the result will help them secure the top position in Group D as things stand.

The Malabarians take on Bashundhara Kings whereas the Mariners clash against Maziya SC on Saturday.

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India News Sports

ISL: ATK Mohun Bagan defeat Chennaiyin FC

Jamshedpur have two games in hand and are at the top with 37 points. They take on Odisha FC on Friday…reports Asian Lite News

ATK Mohun Bagan rode their talisman Roy Krishna’s first-half strike to sail into the semifinals for the second straight year, with a 1-0 victory against Chennaiyin FC in the Hero Indian Super League at the PJN Stadium, here on Thursday.

Krishna netted his fifth goal of the season and first this calendar year in the 45th minute and that proved to be the difference in the end as the green and maroons side moved to second in the table with 37 points from 19 matches. They will take on Jamshedpur FC next on March 7 to potentially decide the team that will finish at the top of the table. Jamshedpur have two games in hand and are at the top with 37 points. They take on Odisha FC on Friday.

ATKMB bossed the game from the first minute, bombing the Chennaiyin defence with constant attacks, the latter happy to sit back and try to attack on the counter. Roy Krishna gave early warnings after a Kauko through ball sent him clear as the veteran Fiji striker, back in the starting XI after an injury layoff, found the post in his way.

There were no clear-cut chances after that early opportunity but the Mariners looked the likelier to score before Chennaiyin started growing into the game and almost keeping ATKMB at bay despite all their adventures in the final third. But just before halftime, Kauko provided a similar pass for Krishna who, unlike at the start of the game, slammed home past a diving Samik Mitra in Chennaiyin goal.

Chennaiyin started the second half on the front foot and almost got their reward three minutes into the hour-mark when a Reagan Singh effort deflected off an ATKMB shirt and came off the post. It was an open half but ATKMB defended well to see off the tie and grab important three points although one would have been enough to seal their semi berth. Chennaiyin, already out of the playoffs race after a forgettable season, finished their engagements with 20 points from the same number of losses.

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