Mumbai City FC crowned ISL cup winners 2023-24
KOLKATA: Bipin Singh came to haunt Mohun Bagan once again as a gritty Mumbai City FC rode on the midfielder’s strike to secure a stunning 3-1 comeback win and grab the ISL title for a second time in front of a partisan Salt Lake Stadium crowd here on Saturday.
In front of 62,007-strong crowd, the home side roared into the lead with Jason Cummings (44th) strike at the stroke of half-time.
But the Islanders levelled things up when Jorge Pereyra Diaz (53rd) silenced the crowd from Alberto Noguera’s magnificent straight pass from the midfield.
Their moment of reckoning came in the 81st minute as Bipin came off the bench to score the decisive second goal to help Mumbai snatch the lead.
It was Bipin’s 90th minute strike that had helped Mumbai City FC win their maiden title in 2020-21 when they overturned an identical 1-0 lead to down Mohun Bagan 2-1.
Nine minutes were added to the second-half, and Mohun Bagan had enough time to bring on the equaliser but its forwards lacked the sting and the Islanders nailed the final nail in the coffin with a 90+7th minute strike by subsitute Jakub Vojtus.
It also crushed Mohun Bagan’s dream of becoming the first team to defend the ISL Cup and complete a rare double of winning the League Winners Shield and the title.
Sergio Lobera-coached Mumbai City FC had achieved the rare feat in their memorable 2020-21 season.
But it was not a day for Mohun Bagan’s shrewd 66-year-old Spaniard tactician Antonio Lopez Habas who appeared in a record fourth ISL final.
Three weeks after the Islanders failed to defend the Shield going down to the same team 1-2 at the same venue, the Petr Kratky-coached side dished out a much-improved show right from the start.
They controlled the possession and initiated a flurry of attacks with Lallianzuala Chhangte in the thick of things, and also hit the post twice in the first half-anhour’s play.