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Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) managed to secure a dramatic victory over Maldivian side Maziya S&RC in the 2023-24 AFC Cup group-stage clash on Monday (October 2). After goals from Jason Cummings and Tomoki Wadu, it was Cummings' stoppage-time strike that ultimately propelled the Mariners to a 2-1 victory.
Both of these teams have enjoyed a strong start to their AFC Cup campaigns. Mohun Bagan notched a convincing 4-0 victory over Odisha FC, while Maziya triumphed 3-1 over Bashundhara Kings in Maldives.
The Mariners fielded their complete contingent of six foreign players on Monday. This tactical choice paid off as they began the game on the front foot and consistently found openings in Maziya's midfield.
Despite Maziya's resolute defensive performance in the first quarter of the game, they eventually conceded the opening goal in the 27th minute, courtesy of a strike by Jason Cummings.
Hugo Boumous received the ball in midfield, surged toward Maziya's backline, and set up Cummings. The latter dribbled past a defender before unleashing a powerful shot into the bottom corner of the net.
It was one-sided until Anwar Ali nearly gifted a goal to Maziya around the half-hour mark. His poor back pass was intercepted in a dangerous area, resulting in a chaotic scramble in the penalty box. Ultimately, Hamill made a crucial clearance to deny Tomoki Wada's powerful strike from crossing the goal line.
However, Mohun Bagan took control of the proceedings and won a penalty towards the end of the half when Armando Sadiku was brought down by Branimir Jocic.
While Cummings initially appeared poised to take the penalty, he attempted to lay off the ball to Petratos from the spot. However, Jocic seemed to anticipate the move and executed a well-timed interception and cleared the ball away.
Juan Ferrando displayed a sense of dismay on the touchline as his team faced the consequences of the mistake. In stoppage time, Wada received the ball on the turn and unleashed a spectacular strike that found the top corner of the net, leveling the score at 1-1.
Maziya S&RC’s goalkeeper efforts in vain as Mohun Bagan SG snatch all three points
Maziya S&RC’s goalkeeper Hussain Shareef was called into action very early in the second half, and he rose to the occasion to bail out his defenders.
Armando Sadiku found himself presented with a huge opportunity in the penalty area, but Shareef reacted brilliantly to thwart Sadiku's efforts. Shareef once again showcased his reflexes as he remarkably kept out Cummings’ follow-up effort.
Mohun Bagan continued to pile on the pressure, with Liston Colaco and Sadiku once again testing Shareef, who was certainly in fine form throughout the evening.
But Mohun Bagan finally broke the deadlock in stoppage time of the second half. Sahal Abdul Samad’s perfectly weighted pass found Cummings, who made no mistake this time to tuck the ball into the back of the net.
The victory takes the Mariners three points clear of Maziya, who remain second in the standings despite the Bashundhara Kings’ victory over Odisha FC early in the day.
