ISL: Mohun Bagan concede late goals to play out 2-2 draw against Mumbai City

Kolkata: Mohun Bagan, on Friday, conceded a two-goal lead to play out a draw against Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-15 opener at the Salt Lake Stadium.

What looked like a convincing win for Mohun Bagan eventually ended in a thrilling draw. A dying-minute goal by Thaer Krouma spoiled their hope of a winning start to the season.

Against the run of play, Mohun Bagan took a 2-0 lead in the first half after making a probing start, with Tiri's own goal and Alberto Rodriguez's field goal giving them the crucial lead.

Mumbai City err, Mohun Bagan gain the lead

Though Mumbai City showed early intent to score, the vigilant Mohun Bagan defence kept frustrating the Islanders.

Operating on the right flank, Bipin Singh made a quick attack at the very onset of the match after playing a one-two with Nikolaos Karelis, by playing the ball deep into the Mohun Bagan box. However, Lallianzuala Chhangte failed to collect the precise delivery. Otherwise, Mumbai City could have taken the lead.

Exerting their domination early in the game, Mumbai City FC also found the back of the net in the fourth minute only to find their goal cancelled out as the referee Harish Kundu called it an off-side.

Bipin sent yet another cross from the left but Karelis failed to connect his header properly. However, the ball fell on Chhangte's feet who set up Jon Toral who trained the ball towards the goal but Bipin's late touch just before the goalline meant Mumbai City's lead stood invalid.

Five minutes later, Mohun Bagan, launching a counterattack, put the scoreboard rolling as Tiri mistakenly put the ball into the goal after a melee in the box.

After earning a free-kick, Mohun Bagan captain Subhashish Bose passed the ball to Liston Colaco, who played the ball towards the goal from the baseline. Tiri's effort to clear the danger landed in the goal with goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa having no chance.

Although Mumbai City earned corners, with Toral and Yoell van Nieff retaining the pressure on Mohun Bagan's defence and earning a corner, they could not utilise the chance.

After taking the lead, Jose Molina's Mohun Bagan looked completely different as they stayed true to what the coach said on the eve of the match by playing a defence-first counterattacking game.

As Mohun Bagan continued to dominate the possession, they extended their lead in the 28th minute when their Spanish forward Alberto Rodriguez scored.

The goal was a result of excellent teamwork, with Jason Cummings setting up Asish Rai on top of the box on the right side. Asish lobbed the ball to Greg Stewart lurking near the far-left post. Stewart set it up perfectly for Alberto, and the Spaniard made no mistake, slotting the ball into the net, leaving Mumbai City goalkeeper Lachenpa with no chance.

Such was the intensity of Mohun Bagan's attacks that two of their hardworking players Asish and Liston were fouled in the 25th and 57th minutes as they posed serious challenges to Mumbai City by rushing towards the box with the ball to their feet.

Mumbai City fightback

However, when it looked like the Mariners were all set to collect three points, Mumbai City, last season's ISL Cup winners, refused to budge under pressure. The Islanders made a remarkable comeback in the second half, as rain started pouring at the the arena.

Tiri atoned for his first-half mistake by narrowing the deficit in the 70th minute, connecting a cross from substitute Noufal. In a tussle with Mohun Bagan captain Subhashish Bose inside the box, Tiri managed to break free and beat goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.

With the scoreboard reading 2-1, a rejuvenated Mumbai City, enjoying 59 per cent possession in the game, rattled the Mohun Bagan defence with a series of attacks. They made three changes in the 87th minute with Vikram Pratap, Krouma and Brandon Fernandez replacing Karelis, Bipin and Manzoro.

In a span of three minutes, in the 90th minute, Noufal, who earlier replaced Jayesh Rane, combined with Krouma, who placed the ball into the bottom right corner to level the score, leaving the 40,000-odd Mohun Bagan fans silent.

In their next game, Mumbai City will play Jamshedpur FC on September 21 in an away clash, while Mohun Bagan will host NorthEast United on September 23 at the Salt Lake Stadium.