Kolkata: Another win for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, another small step towards the league shield of the Indian Super League (ISL). But viewed in conjunction with where the rest are, the 3-0 win through Liston Colaco’s goal between a Jamie Maclaren brace could prove to be a giant stride on way to being the first to retain the shield. With four rounds to spare, Mohun Bagan have booked a play-off berth. They have played nine at home this term and won them all.
After 20 matches, Mohun Bagan have 46 points, 12 ahead of Jamshedpur FC, who have two games in hand. Dogged in their resistance till the halfway mark, Punjab FC disintegrated by the time it was over, and Maclaren’s second goal after Ashish Pradhan lost the ball was proof.
Maclaren’s first broke the deadlock and showed why the Australian is the highest scorer in the history of A-league. Dippendu Biswas, so sure at the back, played it in and Maclaren spun and buried a volley in the bottom corner in the 56th. Colaco made it 2-0 in the 63rd before Maclaren rounded off things in the 90th for his seventh goal of the season. “We lost concentration in the second half,” said Punjab FC coach Panagiotis Dilmperis.
Vishal Kaith was presented a special shirt for keeping 50 clean sheets. By the end of evening, that number had gone up to 52. He now has 12 clean sheets, the most in ISL11.
A mispass summed up Mohun Bagan’s frustration midway through this midweek fixture. It was exactly what Punjab FC coach Dilmperis would have wanted at Salt Lake stadium here on Wednesday.
“We will try something different,” the Greek had said in the pre-match media conference. He was referring to Mohun Bagan’s threat from set-piece movements. Punjab FC conceded only two corner-kicks and their fouls were in areas too far from goal. Dilmperis also played five at the back and denied Mohun Bagan’s bevy of attacking talent oxygen.
But it also meant Punjab FC were light on transition. Pulga Vidal’s first touch of significance was a foul on Ashish Rai in the 20th minute. Mohun Bagan had two shots on target in the first half, by Stewart and Colaco, both saved by goalkeeper Ravi Kumar.
Yet, there was always the sense that Punjab FC were treading a thin line. True, Mohun Bagan’s attempts to get the ball behind the defence didn’t work and a freak injury to Sahal Abdul Samad knocked them out of their stride. But as has been the story of this season, Mohun Bagan simply have too much strength in depth. Abhishek Suryavanshi replaced Sahal but with Stewart pulling strings in midfield, Mohun Bagan managed to absorb the shock. It was Suryavanshi keeping the ball alive that led to the second goal.
And it was Biswas’s ability to switch seamlessly between centre-back and right back that allowed Jose Molina to bring on Ashique Kuruniyan as left back. Biswas made two superb challenges early in the second half during which Petros Giakoumakis hit the upright. And when Punjab FC were 0-2 down, Biswas got a block off Abhishek Singh. “Dippendu, Dippendu,” the roar circulated in the amphitheatre.
It would have tested Mohun Bagan’s character had Giakoumakis scored. Instead, the goals came at the other end.
From the off, Stewart was getting into pockets of space. A reverse pass for Manvir Singh who found Ashish Rai was an early indication of how influential the Scot was going to get. Stewart then pressed Punjab FC into losing possession and shot on goal but Kumar tipped it over. In the 18th minute, Stewart found Maclaren whose flick to Colaco needed Kumar to leave charge and clear. Stewart’s 18 touches in the final third were split equally between the halves and his passing accuracy improved from 72% before half-time to 76% at the final whistle.
Against a team set up this way, Mohun Bagan knew they would need patience. Lots of it. But Maclaren and Stewart also triggered the press making it difficult for Punjab to get out. Jason Cummings did that as a late second-half substitute. Mohun Bagan knew Punjab would break. And not for the first time, they were right.
