Mature approach in ISL final indicates happy days in Indian club football: AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey

Mumbai City scored three goals – through Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Bipin Singh and Jakub Vojtus – in the second half, following Jason Cummings’ opening strike for the Mariners, to register a convincing 3-1 win in the final.

FILE PHOTO: Kalyan Chaubey, President of the All India Football Federation watching from the stands during an ISL game in the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. | Photo Credit: Adimazes/ ISL

Kalyan Chaubey, the President of the All India Football Federation, said that he was impressed by the way the teams have approached matches technically, as Mumbai City FC beat Mohun Bagan Super Giant to win the Indian Super League (ISL) trophy, at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

“The way Mumbai City and Mohun Bagan finished this season involved mature football. If you see, the tendency was to keep the ball grounded,” Chaubey told reporters after the game.

“Even in the third quarter, whether there is a goal or not, the players are keeping the ball in control. These are some positive things we are seeing in Indian club football.”

Mumbai City scored three goals – through Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Bipin Singh and Jakub Vojtus – in the second half, following Jason Cummings’ opening strike for the Mariners, to register a convincing 3-1 win.

It was the second time the two sides met in the summit clash, with the Islanders winning on both occasions, the other being the 2020-21 final where Mumbai City won 2-1.

Chaubey, who played two seasons at Mohun Bagan as a goalkeeper (1996-97, 1999-2000), was present in the stands and handed out the medals and awards at the post-match ceremony.

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Interestingly, he also played in Mumbai for two seasons, plying his trade at Mumbai FC. When asked about his personal take on the result, the AIFF president chose to be diplomatic.

“When a team from West Bengal loses, naturally, people from here will feel sad. But as the (All India Football) Federation president, I am happy that the tournament ended successfully.

“Mumbai City has built a great team and I congratulate them for this victory,” Chaubey added.

Though Chaubey did not delve much into the intricacies of the contest, he felt that Mohun Bagan failed to capitalise on the opening goal.

“Though there was sort of defensive football in the first 30 minutes. But when Cummings scored, I thought Mohun Bagan would take command of the game. I felt a lack of attacking intensity (after the goal), playing a bit in its defensive half,” Chaubey said.