Two ISL seasons ago, Sunil Chhetri and his men walked off the pitch with faces buried in heartbreak as Mohun Bagan lifted their first-ever ISL trophy. Two years on, on Saturday, history repeated itself at Salt Lake Stadium – Chhetri’s Blues were again left staring at the pain of defeat, as Bagan completed a glorious League double.
The scoreboard read 2-1. Bengaluru, despite fighting tooth and nail to defend an early lead, saw Bagan claw their way back, first to level, then to rise, and finally to reign, securing their second ISL title.
But that final score masked the chaos and tension that preceded it. For 70 minutes, the unthinkable loomed, Bengaluru were 20 minutes away from toppling the title favorites on their home turf. An eerie hush had fallen over Salt Lake as the Mariners, dominant all season, suddenly found themselves outplayed. Possession stats, passing accuracy, chances created, everything tilted blue.
In a brutal first half, Bengaluru forward Ryan Williams ended the half with blood trickling down his face, the result of a heavy tackle. It was that kind of night – tense, physical, and raw.
And just four minutes after the restart, it was Williams again, forcing an own goal from Bagan’s rock-solid defender Alberto Rodriguez, whose deflection arced cruelly over Vishal Kaith. A bizarre blemish in an otherwise spotless record, Rodriguez and Tom Aldred had, until then, racked up a near-mythical 15 clean sheets.
Under siege, Bagan retreated into their shell. Bengaluru poured forward from all angles. But then came the shift. A moment of tactical brilliance from coach José Francisco Molina, off came Anirudh Thapa and Liston Colaco, on came the Malayali duo of Ashique Kuruniyan and Sahal Abdul Samad.
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With fresh legs and newfound purpose, the Mariners turned the tide. Jamie MacLaren sparked life into the crowd by forcing a penalty, his deflection of a Cummings cross catching the outstretched arm of Bengaluru’s No. 4. The referee didn’t hesitate. From the spot, Jason Cummings delivered. A firm strike into the bottom right corner, unstoppable even for the towering Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who guessed correctly but couldn’t deny it. Six thumps to the Bagan crest on his chest, Cummings knew they were back in it.
The deadlock dragged into extra time. But just five minutes in, MacLaren, cool as ever. threaded a cheeky finish through Gurpreet’s legs. It was vintage poaching, the kind that turns finals. Fireworks erupted as Bagan finally surged ahead.
Desperate, Bengaluru threw everything forward. Chhetri, leading the charge, saw his last effort, a curling free-kick in the 116th minute, sail over the bar, the final blow in a valiant but losing fight.
When the final whistle blew, Mohun Bagan stood tall, champions not just in title but in record. Most clean sheets in a season (16). Most home wins (14). Most points in an ISL campaign (56). The Salt Lake faithful roared, drenched in joy and history.
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Timeless as ever, the Mariners have reasserted their place in Indian football royalty. Though, truth be told, they never really left.
