Mohun Bagan Super Giant are having a mixed season till now. The Indian Super League defending champions have already brought home a trophy this season in the form of Durand Cup. However, they have been plagued by different issues this season and have also seen a change of coach with Antonio Lopez Habas replacing Juan Ferrando. Ahead of the season’s first Kolkata Derby, let’s take a look at how Mohun Bagan Super Giant have fared in the season so far.
Durand Cup
The 2023-24 season started with the Durand Cup. Mohun Bagan Super Giant had a good start to their Durand Cup campaign, winning their first match 5-0 against Bangladesh Army. The Mariners consolidated their position on top of the Durand Cup table with a 2-0 win against Punjab FC in a match where most of the players from the first team started. However, they suffered a jolt in the final match of the group stage, losing 1-0 against arch rivals East Bengal FC in season’s first Kolkata Derby. However, they qualified to the quarter finals by virtue of being the best second placed team in the tournament.
The Mariners bounced back from the Derby defeat in the quarter-finals, beating Mumbai City FC 3-1 in a tense encounter in the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. They met FC Goa in the semi-final of the tournament. The match turned out to be a tight affair, with the Mariners digging deep to carve out a 2-1 win. Their win set up a mouth-watering clash in the final against arch-rivals East Bengal for the second time in the tournament. The Mariners avenged their group stage loss to EBFC by clinching a 1-0 win in the final to lift the trophy.
Kalinga Super Cup
The Kalinga Super Cup did not go for the Mariners as planned. The Mariners started their campaign well, winning their first match against 2-1 against Sreenidi Deccan. They backed it up with another identical win against fellow ISL club Hyderabad FC. However, their Super Cup campaign were put to a premature halt when they met East Bengal FC for their final group stage fixture. East Bengal, who became the eventual champions, came from a goal down to win the tie 3-1 and send the Mariners packing.
Indian Super League
The Mariners have failed to replicate their last year’s form in the ISL this season. The then ATK Mohun Bagan won last year’s ISL and owner Sanjiv Goenka announced the renaming of the team ahead of the new season. However, the Mariners have not quite had the start they wanted to the league this season. The Mariners sit at the fifth spot of ISL this season, with six wins from 10 matches. However, courtesy of three defeats, Mohun Bagan Super Giant have 19 points, and trail nearest rivals Mumbai City FC by 3 points who have played a game more. It remains to be seen if the Mariners can turn their fortunes around in the ISL as the tournament nears towards the business end.
Editors pick
