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After recovering from a one-goal deficit, Mohun Bagan Super Giant managed to book a berth in the Durand Cup 2023 finals, defeating FC Goa 1-2 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Thursday.
The Gaurs started out with an adventurous intent and the hosts were consistently caught on the back foot. The pressure continued to build up and ultimately Noah Sadaoui capitalized on a poor pass from Hugo Boumous to put Manolo Marquez's side ahead in the 23rd minute.
With the lead under their belt, the Goan outfit were looking dominant and well on their way to doubling their lead. However, a dubious penalty decision in the 39th minute presented Mohun Bagan with an opportunity to level the scores. Jason Cummings didn't falter from the spot, and both teams went into the break on level terms.
After the break, Mohun Bagan took much more confident strides. A defensive mix-up from FC Goa allowed Juan Ferrando's men to pull ahead through a sterling strike from Armando Sadiku moments after the hour mark.
Despite incessant efforts and dominating possession from the Gaurs, the Green and Maroon Brigade were too resilient to part ways with their lead. Ultimately as the referee blew the final whistle, the Super Giant sealed a berth in the Durand Cup finals alongside their century-old rivals East Bengal FC.
On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings for Mohun Bagan SG from their victory in the Durand Cup semi-final:
Ratings for Mohun Bagan Super Giant players
Vishal Kaith (GK) [8.0]
Last season's ISL Golden Gloves winner showed his pedigree tonight with a stunning array of saves all throughout the night. His save to deny an inch-perfect header from Jay Gupta late in the game was the pick of the highlight reel.
Anwar Ali [6.5]
Initially, the Indian center-back didn't look at his finest, but as the minutes rolled by, Anwar Ali steadily grew into the game and complimented Hector with great panache.
Hector Yuste [7.0]
The Spaniard was an absolute rock at the back for the Mariners, but the area where he prospered, in particular, was in maintaining the discipline of the backline. His positioning ensured that Sadaoui was caught offside on multiple occasions.
Subhasish Bose [7.5]
The veteran full-back has always been acknowledged as a no-nonsense campaigner and on Thursday it was no different. Despite Mohun Bagan being caught out on multiple instances, whenever, Subhasish had the opportunity to steer away any danger, he did it with absolute solidity.
Asish Rai [6.0]
The former Hyderabad FC full-back showed great vigor and tenacity while bombing down the flanks but lacked any final product. He also gave away possession on multiple occasions.
Ashique Kuruniyan [6.5]
Not the sharpest on most occasions, but Ashique Kuruniyan managed to invite a lunging challenge from Jay Gupta to win the penalty that ultimately led to the equalizer. He continued to chip away at the Gaurs' defense all night but faltered in the final third far too often.
Anirudh Thapa [6.5]
The former Chennaiyin FC midfielder became growingly comfortable on the ball and had a solid outing for most parts.
Sahal Abdul Samad [6.5]
Since his much-anticipated transfer to Mohun Bagan, Sahal Abdul Samad has been largely underwhelming, and not much changed tonight. The midfielder lost possession on multiple occasions but once he started playing higher up the pitch in the second half, the performance improved drastically.
Hugo Boumous [5.5]
The Moroccan international had a horrendous start to the night, conceding possession to Noah Sadaoui in a fatal position, which ultimately led to the Gaurs' opening goal of the night. Despite creating some half chances later in the match, Ferrando decided to bring Boumous' night to an early end after his lackluster performance.
Dimitri Petratos [7.0]
While Boumous had an off day, Dimitri Petratos took the responsibility of keeping the midfield ticking on his shoulders. He dropped deep, tried to link up the play, and got into attacking channels on a continuous basis. Although he might have not featured on the scoresheet, he definitely did have an undeniable contribution to the scoreline one way or another.
Jason Cummings [7.0]
The talismanic forward was quite muted in the initial phases before the 39th-minute penalty provided him with an opportunity to stamp his name on the scoresheet. Jason Cummings did just that with his thumping strike from the spot before sending Dheeraj Singh the wrong way. However, excluding the penalty, the Australian forward couldn't create the desired impact on most occasions.
SUBSTITUTES
Armando Sadiku [7.5]
Right after coming on after the break, Sadiku had an instantaneous impact and capitalized on a defensive error from Goa to pull Mohun Bagan ahead with a stellar strike from outside the box.
Manvir Singh [6.0]
Manvir wasn't the most inspiring of substitutes but like always, he used his ability to toil to keep FC Goa's attacks in check and carry the ball forward whenever the opportunity arrived.
Liston Colaco [5.5]
The winger had a massively erratic outing after coming off the bench and gave away plenty of fouls in the short span.
Brendan Hamill [6.5]
The Australian center-back was brought on to help defend the narrow lead and under his leadership, the Mohun Bagan backline didn't fumble.
