Jason Cummings found the winner in second-half injury-time to help Mohun Bagan Super Giant prevail over the Maldives visitor Maziya S&RC 2-1 in the second round group-D encounter of the AFC Cup 2023-24, at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Monday.
Cummings scored both goals as Mohun Bagan picked up the full three points to tally six and remain on top of the current group league standings. Tomoki Wada found the only reply for Maziya.
Two goals and a penalty misadventure summed up the action in the opening half. The Mariners dominated the game with over 65 per cent ball possession and mounted numerous raids to peg Maziya to its defence for the most part.
The host fielded the complete quota of its foreign recruits to find the required sharpness in the offensive. The trio of Jason Cummings, Dimitri Petratos and Armando Sadiku showed the right coordination in the attacking third and created the necessary spaces in the Maziya box.
AS IT HAPPENED: Mohun Bagan vs Maziya highlights
But the Mohun Bagan scoreline remained unaltered for a long period as the Maziya defence stayed resolute and kept the home team attack at bay.
Mohun Bagan found the lead in the 28th minute when its French playmaker Hugo Boumous moved up the pitch to essay a probing pass to Cummings, who outwitted his marker to create the opening on top of the Maziya box. The Australian striker finished with a rasping left-footer as the ball hit the inside of the Maziya upright and ended up in the back of the net.
The lead appeared to make the Mohun Bagan camp a tad bit overconfident, which was evident in the way Cummings tried to lay the ball off for Petratos while taking his attempt from the spot when the host earned a penalty in the 40th minute.
The latter failed to read his compatriot’s intention and failed to reach the ball, allowing the Maziya defender Sebastijan Antic to clear the ball.
The around 27000 Mohun Bagan fans could relate the penalty attempt variation to the Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who, on various occasions, has set up his teammates from the spot to score.
Maziya found the equaliser off its Japanese midfielder Tomoki Wada in the 45th minute as the player scored a belter from the edge of the box. Wada’s goal made Mohun Bagan’s penalty mishap more glaring.
The host tried to find the lead after the break but was frustrated in its bid as Maziya put a dogged defiance to see the host’s attempts go to waste on several occasions.
Cummings, who was let off inside the box by an inch-perfect assist from substitute Sahal Abdul Samad, found the net finally in the added time (90+2 minute) to end Mohun Bagan’s misery and redeem his earlier mistake.
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