Matchday 17 of the 2023-24 Indian Super League ended with Mohun Bagan Super Giant thrashing Jamshedpur 3-0 at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings, and Armando Sadiku scored the three goals for the Mariners.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Lopez Habas made three changes to his team after a goalless draw against Odisha. Abhishek Suryavanshi, Liston Colaco, and Cummings replaced Sahal Abdul Samad, Asish Rai, and Sadiku respectively.
On the other hand, after a fantastic 2-1 win against East Bengal in their last match, Jamshedpur head coach Khalid Jamil found it fit not to make any unnecessary changes to the winning combination as he rolled the same starting XI.
The Mariners started the game on the front foot and it took them only seven minutes to take the lead. Joni Kauko played an exquisite through ball for Manvir Singh down the right flank, who then cut it back for Petratos inside the box. The Australian striker then completed the sequence by slotting the ball past the dive of TP Rehenesh.
Jamshedpur’s response to the goal was great, as Jamil’s men launched a few attacks after going down. In the 14th minute, Daniel Chima Chukwu found himself in space inside the box and struck a shot which seemed to be going in, but Mohun Bagan Super Giant skipper Subhasish Bose made a fine block. The resulting corner from Jeremy Manzorro saw Pratik Chaudhari jumping the highest, but the centre-back could not guide his header on target.
Having soaked the press, the Mariners put their foot on the gas once again from the 15th minute. A long ball by Petratos found Liston, who then beat his marked Provat Lakra with pace and skills. The winger then pulled the trigger, but Rehenesh was equal to the task.
The game continued to ebb and flow as both teams squandered chances in the first half. In the 20th minute, Imran Khan struck an astonishing shot from outside the box, but Vishal Kaith thwarted the danger for the hosts. Four minutes later, Manvir tried his luck from an acute angle, but Rehenesh came up with yet another save.
Jamshedpur’s first big chance of the game came in the 35th minute. From a throw, Manzorro laid off a pass for Javier Siverio, before the East Bengal loanee found Chukwu completely unmarked with a delicate backheel. However, the Nigerian striker’s attempt was saved by Kaith.
Jamshedpur ended the first half with a flurry of attacks, although none of their attempts resulted in a goal. In the 43rd minute, Manzorro’s corner met the head of Chaudhari once again, but the latter could not find the target at the second time of asking either. In extra time, substitute Rei Tachikawa pulled the trigger from a distance but his shot landed in the middle tier of the stadium.
The Red Miners had a great start to the second half as it took them less than a minute to have their first attempt. After a Manzorro shot was blocked by a player in green and maroon, the rebound fell for Ricky Lallawmawma, whose powerful attempt missed the target by a whisker.
In the 58th minute, Elsinho found Mohammed Sanan with a beautifully-timed crossfield ball, before the winger made room for a left-footed shot and went for glory. However, he too could not hit the target.
Having dealt with the attacks again, Mohun Bagan Super Giant retaliated after the hour mark. Substitute Anirudh Thapa’s long ball found Cummings in a good area in the 64th minute.
The former Central Coast Mariners striker did well to avoid his marker Chaudhari and launch a shot. While his attempt struck the crossbar, the rebound fell for Manvir, whose shot was not a million miles away from handing the Mariners a 2-0 lead.
Jamshedpur had another good chance in the 67th minute when Provat Lakra found himself in space down the right flank. He attempted to thread a pass for Imran Khan, and while Bose intercepted that, Manzorro struck a venomous volley from the ricochet which nearly found the top corner.
Jason Cummings scored his 7th goal in the 2023-24 ISL season
But all those missed chances came back to haunt Jamil’s team, as the Mariners finally scored their insurance goal in the 68th minute. After receiving a pass from Kauko, Manvir threaded an excellent pass for Cummings, whose left-footed strike could not be kept out by Rehenesh.
Having scored two goals, the last few minutes were all about Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s ruthlessness. In the 78th minute, Manvir found Petratos inside the box with another through ball, before the Aussie struck a shot. After his initial attempt was saved by Rehenesh, the rebound fell to Petratos again, but Rehenesh saved the second attempt too.
Although, the Jamshedpur goalkeeper’s heroics could not prevent Habas’ team from scoring a third goal. It was Petratos’ turn to play a pass for Manvir this time before the latter threaded a delivery for Sadiku through the legs of Tachikawa. The Albanian then did the rest by finding the top corner with a sublime finish.
Jamshedpur did have some chances in the dying stages of the game. Nikhil Barla’s cross found Chukwu in the 90th minute, while a minute later, PC Laldinpuia delivered a decent pass for Manzorro. However, both players were wasteful in their attempts.With this win, Mohun Bagan Super Giant has climbed to the 2nd place in the standings, with 33 points in 16 matches. They will now take on East Bengal in the Kolkata Derby next Sunday while Jamshedpur remains in 6th position with 20 points in 18 matches and will be up against Mumbai City on Friday.