Kolkata, April 7 Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) qualified for their third consecutive final of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Monday after a 3-2 aggregate win against Jamshedpur FC in the semi-final tie.
After losing the opening leg by 2-1 last week, MBSG scored a 2-0 victory over the Men of Steel in the second game of the fixture at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium tonight and are now set to square off against Bengaluru FC in the summit clash.
Displaying positive intent from the beginning, Liston Colaco stretched the Jamshedpur FC defence on the right flank before hurling in a powerful cross inside the 18-yard box in the 16th minute. The ball was cleared out but Jason Cummings pounced upon the same at the edge of the penalty area and unleashed an effort that landed high above the target.
Colaco and Cummings joined hands again after the half-hour mark, with the former distributing the ball to the centre from right. The striker played the ball to the left flank and a quick string of passes saw Asish Rai make a headed delivery precisely in Cummings’ path. The forward could not sort his feet in time though, eventually making a feeble effort that was saved in the middle of the goal by Albino Gomes.
Cummings, who was a lively presence in the final third throughout the match, finally found his moment of reckoning in the 51st minute, courtesy of converting a spot-kick with impeccable ease. Pronay Halder's handball handed MBSG an opportunity to find the breakthrough and Cummins used his left foot to drill the ball into the bottom right corner without breaking a sweat, thus bringing the aggregate level to 2-2 at this point.
Colaco’s corner in the 79th minute was meant to find Alberto Rodriguez inside the box, but a diligently organised Jamshedpur FC backline ensured that the ball did not reach the defender. Instead, Cummings latched upon the loose delivery on the right side of the box, but got into an imbalanced position fronting a crowded opposition. He tried his luck at dispatching the ball into the top left corner but the ball veered away from the crossbar.
Eventually, it required the star Indian midfield duo of Anirudh Thapa and Lalengmawia Ralte to interlink and find the goal that sent MBSG into the summit clash. Thapa’s pass deep into the added time of the second half met the latter outside the box, and instead of furthering any build-up play, the former Mumbai City FC star backed his instincts to go for an ambitious shot from distance that rattled the top right corner of the net, gaining the home side an opportunity at winning the ISL Cup on Saturday.
The midfielder completed 66 out of his 69 attempted passes, making one clearance and cross each, two tackles, producing three goal-scoring chances, and netted the decisive strike of the fixture too.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will play the final of ISL 2024-25 against Bengaluru FC on April 12, whereas Jamshedpur FC’s run this season wraps up with this defeat.
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