The Super Giant began its campaign for the AFC Champions League 2 on September 18, 2024. It began at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata with a tricky challenge against Ravshan Kulob from Tajikistan. It was one of the most frustrating goalless draws in the history of Mohun Bagan. This is because they dominated possession of the ball but were unable to convert.

First Half Highlights

In a vibrant Kolkata sky, this match opened up and the two teams were more than eager to make an impression. Mohun Bagan took early control of affairs by pushing up and looking for early openings. Their first serious attempt came on the 19th minute as Petratos. The cross from Manvir Singh, made his way past the Ravshan defense. His shot though was blocked in time to trouble the goalkeeper, Grytsenko.

As the first half wore on, Mohun Bagan’s attack was getting more and more frequent. In the 21st minute, Dippendu was given a yellow for late challenge. It showed the physicality of the game. Despite several promising attacks, the Mariners found it difficult to get a shot on target. The best opportunity for the half fell when a free-kick taken by Petratos was headed down by Subhasish Bose. However, once again the endeavor lacked power as Grytsenko collected the ball with ease.

But Ravshan, who had been on the back foot for most of the first half, did make a few  moves. They did have a notable chance in the 27th minute when Matic set up Rahimov inside the box. Rahimov’s shot was well-saved by Mohun Bagan’s goalkeeper. Vishal Kaith, who managed to parry the ball away from danger and thus take the match into the intermission with the score tied.

Second Half Developments

The second 45 minutes began better for the away side. They were visibly more aggressive and launched several attacks. In the 47th minute, Markovich attempted a shot from outside the box This forced Kaith to make yet another save, as the player was fast becoming the main man for Mohun Bagan in the Mohali sun. But the Mariners soon regained their composure and retained possession to apply pressure.

However, Mohun Bagan could not make amends for the possession when minutes ticked in the last few stages of the game. The game progressed to critical minutes as Cummings got a golden chance when he was tackled with a through ball in the 76th minute. He had reached the Ravshan defence, where he attempted a flick back into space. Grytsenko raced in to gobble up the opportunity, which otherwise remained a subdued game for him.

In the 88th minute of time, Mohun Bagan seemed to have finally broken out of the deadlock when Petratos found the net after a failed clearance from Ravshan’s defense. However, the goal was considered offside, and thus the scoreboard didn’t change, even as the home fans rested on their hands, pained.

Match Statistics and Tactical Analysis

The final statistics may have said a thing or two about domination in possession play with over 65% and total shots taken, but the inability to register a shot on target proved costly for Mohun Bagan. They entered the opposition’s final third often, but failed to produce clear cut chances or capitalize on set pieces-an area of marked success in many of their other games.

Ravshan was struggling to keep up with the treadmill of Mohun Bagan, especially in tackles. What he did instead was be resilient in defending while on counter-attacks, which helped him create a few real dangers without any real success. His team’s defense turned out to be quite organized and disciplined, restraining the Mohun Bagan players who could create more, especially Petratos as the player found it pretty tough to work his way through that tight backline.

The Aftermath

It ended 0-0 at full time in a match. This has surely left Mohun Bagan rather disappointed after kick-starting their AFC Champions League 2 campaign. This was a match Mariners to look forward to, especially after coming into this one with high hopes of winning with such a strong squad. And, add to that the home advantage. Now, they have to regroup and work on their finishing problems if they are going to get past the group stages.

This was also a significant match for Mohun Bagan as they thought it presented them with a chance to unveil their potential for Asia. Fans were, therefore, looking forward to a good game and what was in store for them after having been aware of the initial moments of the team in Asian competitions. Scoring chances not being converted is surely one area that the players will be looking to work on before such games again.

Coach Molina will reinforce attacking productivity and look for ways to convert their dominance in the middle into a number of goals. The team must now recover from this defeat. They have to make appropriate adjustments in terms of tactics into converting chances into actual goals.