Mohun Bagan in Durand Cup final: What happened when Mohun Bagan Super Giant last reached a final in Indian football?

The last time Mohun Bagan Super Giant reached a final in Indian football, it ended up winning the ISL 2022-23 title after beating Bengaluru FC on penalties.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant (then ATK Mohun Bagan) players celebrate after winning the final match of the Indian Super League 2022-23 against Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Goa, March 18, 2023.  | Photo Credit: PTI

Mohun Bagan Super Giant will take on East Bengal in the final of the 132nd edition of the Durand Cup on Sunday, August 3 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

FOLLOW THE MATCH LIVE HERE: EAST BENGAL VS MOHUN BAGAN SUPER GIANT LIVE SCORE

Having won the Durand Cup 16 times in its fabled history, the Mariners last won the tournament back in 2000. However, it is not long since they played another major final in Indian football.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant becomes champion of India

The last time Mohun Bagan Super Giant reached a final in Indian football, it ended up becoming the champion of India.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, known as ATK Mohun Bagan at the time, reached the final of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season, where it beat Bengaluru FC 4-3 on penalties to clinch the ISL title on March 18, 2023.

With the match taking place in front of an almost packed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, the Mariners took the lead first in the 13th-minute courtesy of a successful penalty by Dimitrios Petratos. Roy Krishna had conceded a handball inside the box, which led to the spot-kick.

Just before the half-time whistle, Bengaluru equalised as Subhasish Bose misjudged a clearance and brought down Krishna inside the box, with a crunching challenge. Captain Sunil Chhetri, who had replaced the injured Sivasakthi Narayanan early in the first half, stepped up to take the spot-kick and managed to find the net.

It was Juan Ferrando’s Mohun Bagan team that started the second-half on the frontfoot, but Bengaluru FC struck first in the second-half in the 78th minute. Naorem Roshan Singh delivered an exquisite cross inside the box from a BFC corner, which Bruno Ramires flicked on at the far post. Krishna, being the ultimate poacher, was in the right place at the right time to head the ball inside the net.

Krishna scoring the winning goal in the final against his former team would have been poetic, but that was not meant to be.

In the 83rd minute, the Mariners were back in the game after Kiyan Nassiri was fouled inside the box by Pablo Perez. The referee pointed to the spot, and ATKMB got its second penalty of the match.

Petratos stepped up to take his second penalty of the match and showed guts as he went in the same direction as his earlier spot-kick, but such was the power and accuracy of the shot that Gurpreet couldn’t save it despite guessing right yet again.

Dimitrios Petratos of Mohun Bagan Super Giant scored twice in regulation time.  | Photo Credit: Focus Sports/ISL

With the scores level at 2-2, the match went to extra-time, but the teams could not be separated, which meant that the ISL 2022-23 final would be decided on penalties.

In the shootout, both teams converted their first two penalties. Alan Costa and Krishna found the net for BFC, while Petratos and Colaco were on target for ATKMB.

The turning point came when Kaith saved Ramires’ penalty. The pressure was on Kiyan to score the next for the lead, but the youngster maintained his composure to find the net. Chhetri and Manvir converted their respective penalties for BFC and ATKMB to continue the shootout. Perez, who was next, had to score to keep his team in the equation but blasted his effort above the bar, leading to a 4-3 win for the Mariners.