The 11th edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) kicked off at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on a rainy Friday evening. Mohun Bagan Super Giants, last season’s Shield winners and defending Cup champions Mumbai City FC played an entertaining 2-2 draw in the inaugural contest.
It was the 13th time Mohun Bagan SG and Mumbai City FC took to the ground to face each other. These two teams have arguably been the most dominant in the ISL recently, being central to title battles in three of the last four seasons.
Even under new coach Jose Molina, Mohun Bagan SG appeared to have begun the season from exactly where they ended their last campaign as they reached the final of the pre-season competition Durand Cup competition.
Mumbai City FC, on the other hand, opted not to send their first team to the Durand Cup, choosing instead to play a series of pre-season friendlies in Thailand before making their ISL 11 debut on Friday.
The clash of the titans, who have shared between themselves the Shield and the Cup in the last two editions, was expected to be a lively affair. In reality, it ended up being dull, with both teams missing their usual sharpness, even though four goals were scored.
Mumbai City FC began the match with strong momentum, scoring in the fourth minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Things worsened for Islanders when Tiri’s attempted clearance of Liston Colaco’s cross ended up in their own net, giving Mariners the lead in the 10th minute.
The visitors pressed forward with numerous attacks but none was potent enough. Eventually, a costly error in the 28th minute allowed the home team to double their lead. Mumbai City FC failed to clear a corner properly before the ball fell to Mohun Bagan SG defender Alberto Rodriguez who fired it into the net.
Mumbai continued to press for opportunities throughout the rest of the first half, but Mohun Bagan managed to hold firm. In the second half, the Mariners defended their lead with greater composure, while the visitors struggled to replicate their earlier attacking momentum.
After a couple of unlucky events in the first half, fortune finally favoured Mumbai City FC in the 70th minute. A rebound from a corner found Tiri, who managed to slip the ball past Mohun Bagan’s defenders and goalkeeper Vishal Kaith to reduce the deficit for his team.
Mohun Bagan’s lack of meaningful attack in the second half enabled Mumbai to equalise in the dying moments of the game. Two substitutes, Noufal P.N. and Thaer Krouma, teamed up as Noufal cut the ball back from the left wing to Krouma who placed the ball perfectly into the right corner of Mohun Bagan’s net in the 90th minute.
Statistically, Mumbai City FC outperformed Mohun Bagan, registering 15 attempts with six on target, while Bagan managed just five, only two of which tested Mumbai’s goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa. In what was a scrappy contest, the match featured 26 fouls and saw seven yellow cards handed out.