Mohun Bagan 2-0 (3-2 Agg) Jamshedpur Player Ratings: Apuia’s Late Winner Seals a Terrific Comeback for Mohun Bagan As They Make It to Three Straight ISL Cup Finals

Apuia scored a late winner in the 94th minute as Mohun Bagan improbably completed the comeback to head into the ISL Cup finals. The Mariners started the game with a 58,000-strong Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium cheering them to get the goals.

Jamshedpur defended bravely throughout the first half, but Jason Cummings scored a penalty to equalise the tie. A 30-minute extra time looked inevitable as players were tiring. But Apuia scored a sensational effort from outside the box to send the stadium into delirium.

Mohun Bagan’s coach was Jose Molina, was cautious ahead of the game, keeping in mind the fan violence that took place in the first leg. He wanted his players to keep believing and get the job done. He decided to make key changes in midfield and attack by introducing Apuia, Ashique Kuruniyan and Jamie Maclaren to get some goals.

Khalid Jamil, the only Indian coach left in the competition, had to deal with the suspension of defensive lynchpin Stephen Eze. He set his side up to defend and added an extra body in midfield by sacrificing Javier Siverio.

The game started with a huge roar from the home crowd on a Monday night as Mohun Bagan looked to get the leveller in the tie from the first minutes. Jason Cummings, Liston Colaco, and Anirudh Thapa all came close as Albino Gomes in Jamshedpur looked unbeatable. The ex-Sreenidi Deccan custodian was pulling miraculous saves as he kept Cummings out several times.

The game turned into an attack vs defence drill as Jamshedpur completely surrendered the ball to Mohun Bagan. The ISL Shield champions took on the task and bombarded their goal with efforts. However, they failed to score a goal as the defence was putting everything on the line to save a goal.

As the first half ended, the Mariners recorded the highest box entries, shots taken by a team in the first half of the entire season, showcasing how attacking they were. Jamshedpur, however, started stretching as defending both halves with the same intensity was impossible.

They imploded in the second half when Pronay Halder handled a corner kick flicked on from close range. The referee didn’t need a second look to point it to the spot. The highly influential Cummings stepped up to take the kick and sent Gomes the wrong way to restore parity in the tie.

The game opened up after that, as Jamshedpur no longer had the luxury of sitting back. Through changes, they added more attacking flair. Javi Hernández and Jordan Murray both went close but couldn’t find the net. Liston, too, had a good effort blocked for the Mariners.

As tired legs were taking over and the thought of extra time was becoming real, Apuia hatched a plan to change the night forever. The midfielder who never scored a goal this season for Mohun Bagan picked the ball up as Halder gave it away. He opened his body up and curled a shot into the back of the net from outside the box as the stadium exploded at once.

They were in seventh heaven after completing the comeback with a little over a minute in injury time, set to play. The visitors who defended so bravely fell to the ground in tears as their good efforts over the 180-minute tie would count for nothing.

The hosts, however, made it to the third straight ISL Cup final. This time, they have the added motivation of making it a league and cup double. Bengaluru FC stands in their way at the very same ground. Mohun Bagan coach Jose Molina later said, “To be honest, I think it has been really difficult. I think it was really good because Jamshedpur did a great job. In their style, the defence was really good and put us under pressure trying to win. But in my opinion, we deserved that victory, we deserved to win the final.”

Here are the Mohun Bagan vs Jamshedpur Player Ratings.

Mohun Bagan Player Ratings

GK – Vishal Kaith – 6/10

He didn’t have to work as hard because his side was on the front foot throughout the game. Made a couple of decent saves and swept some crosses when needed in the second half.

RB – Ashish Rai – 7.5/10

He was completely given the freedom to join the attack. Made a lot of lovely crosses and even took some shots to test Gomes. One cross for Thapa late in the game particularly stood out.

CB – Tom Aldred – 7.5/10

Often joined the midfield as they tried to put pressure on Jamshedpur and win the ball back. Did his defensive duties superbly as well.

CB – Alberto Rodriguez – 7/10

He was part of a two-man defence at times as his side went all-out attack. The communication between the defence was excellent. He was caught out of position late in the game but was relieved to see the cross go wide.

LB – Subhashish Bose – 7/10

The more conservative fullback, as he mostly stayed with the defence, but also bombed forward occasionally. Made a reckless challenge in the first away but was lucky to get away with it.

RM – Liston Colaco – 7/10

He was appearing on both flanks, showing his two-footedness and sowing doubts into the mind of the opposition. Brought in a lot of flair and creativity to terrorise the defenders.

CM – Anirudh Thapa – 7/10

Played in an attacking position with Apuia sweeping in behind him. Led a couple of good counters but couldn’t find the final pass. Had a great chance late on in the game, but he volleyed it skywards.

CM – Apuia – 7/10

Took the responsibility of sweeping anything that appeared in the middle third of the pitch. Won countless second balls as he helped pin the opponents down. Scored a brilliant winner late in the game to take his side to the finals.

LM – Ashique Kuruniyan – 7/10

Enjoyed a rare start this season and tried to shake off the tag of a super-sub by providing his side a way into the game. But he couldn’t get anything tangible despite some good pieces of play.

CF – Jason Cummings – 8/10

He was playing like a man possessed to get his side to victory. He should’ve scored a hat-trick in the first half itself, given the quality of his chances. He was sensational on set-pieces and won a penalty, which he duly converted.

ST – Jamie Maclaren – 5.5/10

He was not at his usual best as he struggled to get in behind the strong defence of the visitors in the first half. Had only five touches in the opposition box going into the break as he failed to complement Cummings.

Sub – Manvir Singh – 6/10

Sub – Dimitri Petratos – 6/10

Manager – Jose Molina – 7/10

He was cautious before the game and wanted his players to react on the pitch. The way he extracted this performance was wonderful, as every player gave their 100%. The equaliser was a matter of time as he kept his calm. A late winner saw his side stay in the hunt for a shield-cup double.

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Jamshedpur Player Ratings

GK – Albino Gomes – 7.5/10

Looked unbeatable as he pulled off save after save in the first half. His positioning was questionable, but he somehow got key fingertips or palms to keep the ball away. Couldn’t guess the right way as Cummings slotted home from the spot. Failed to keep Apuia’s shot despite getting a fingertip to it.

RB – Nikhil Barla – 6.5/10

Held his position and defended with discipline. He went into the book ear;y into the game and had to tread on a tight rope.

CB – Pronay Halder – 6.5/10

Defended brilliantly all game as he made some crucial blocks and interceptions. He couldn’t keep his arms to himself as he gave away the penalty. A costly mistake as he gave the ball away, and Mohun Bagan scored.

CB – Lazar Cirkovic – 7/10

Held the back line together brilliantly with Halder as he soaked wave after wave of Mohun Bagan pressure. Used all his experience to put his side in the game.

LB – Muhammed Uvais – 7/10

He was a potent force as he held his ground with Liston Colaco wonderfully. Even going forward, he was very useful as he played some nice linkups.

RM – Seiminlen Doungel – 6/10

Couldn’t provide his side with a neat escape on the flanks as they were pinned down by the opposition.

CM – Rei Tachikawa – 6/10

The calm and composed Tachikawa lost his head in the storm as the intense pressure from the hosts swarmed him.

CM – Sourav Das – 7/10

Made a fantastic clearance from the goal line to keep the hosts at bay in the first half. He made a couple of mistakes in the second half with his passing, but he recovered well.

LM – Mohammed Sanan – 5.5/10

No way near the needed pace of the game as they barely saw the ball in the first half. Was struggling to deal with tracking back and defending as well. Needed to be replaced in the second half.

ST – Javi Hernandez – 7/10

He was an absolute menace in the path of the hosts as he picked the ball up and drew fouls incredibly. A shot early on in the second half was only inches away from the net.

ST – Jordan Murray – 6.5/10

Started the night due to his excellent work rate and was chasing every loose touch and pass. He had a great chance to give them the lead in the first half.

Sub – Ritwik Das – 6/10

Sub – Viruthiyil Sreekuttan- 6.5/10

Sub – Javier Siverio- 6/10

Sub – Pratik Chaudhari- 6/10

Manaager – Khalid Jamil – 6/10

His tactics were spot-on in the first half, but they had to bank on the brilliance of Albino Gomes as well. Despite missing key starters, they did well in defence. However, 90 minutes of sitting back was never enough to take them through. A late goal broke his heart as he was gearing up for extra time.

Sportsdunia’s Player of the Match: Jason Cummings

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