Mohun Bagan 1-1 Bengaluru FC – read the scoreline in the 96th minute into the extra time. A tense crowd of 60,000 at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, draped in ‘Sobuj – Maroon’ (Green and Maroon), watched on as Greg Stewart received a pass from Ashique Kuruniyan, carried the ball to the edge of the box and delivered a perfect pass to Jamie Maclaren, who rifled a shot past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s legs, sending it to the back of the net. The roar of the crowd echoed through the stadium, through the entire city, and no matter how deafening it may have been, every decibel of it cried, “Joy Mohun Bagan.”
Bagan’s quest – not just silverware, but something even bigger!
It wasn’t just about clinching a historic double. It was about Bagan reclaiming their rightful place at the pinnacle of Indian football — reasserting themselves as the undisputed ‘Super Giant’, both in name and in silverware.
But the road to glory was never a smooth one. The Mariners had stumbled at this very stage, on this very pitch, in the previous season against Mumbai City FC. Heartbreak followed again at this stadium in the Durand Cup final, where they fell to NorthEast United.
At long last, they have shattered the jinx. The curse is broken. And the crown, once again, rests on the heads of the rightful kings.
Bengaluru FC had nothing but redemption on their minds – a final to win. A shot at the glory they had been chasing since 2019. And they were ever so close to doing that in 2023 – only to be denied by the same team.
It all was going well for them; they were fierce and unforgiving from the get-go on the pitch, aiming to win every ball and to cover every inch of the pitch. They attacked relentlessly, and although nothing separated the two sides on paper at the halfway point, it was the Blues who left the hosts shaken.
But as second-half proceedings went underway, it took only four minutes for Bengaluru to find a way through the sturdy Bagan defense – or gifted – as a 49th-minute own goal by Alberto Rodriguez put the visitors ahead.
There was no way, however, that the match would end like this – it never did, for the Mariners have always stolen points via last-gasp strikes, winners at death, and this has made their season an ‘absolute cinema’ – as the memes say these days.
The respite for the anxious crowd came in the form of a handball from Sana inside the box off a shot from Maclaren. Jason Cummings slotted home the penalty calmly and celebrated in his usual “Araam se” (with comfort) style. But nothing would be the same about the crowd’s celebration – who went into a frenzy with that equalizer.
Mohun Bagan nearly scripted another dramatic finale — a trademark winner at the death. Greg Stewart whipped in a pinpoint cross, and it seemed destined for Maclaren to bury it. The Aussie was in the perfect spot; the crowd held their breath — but the connection never came. A collective gasp echoed through the stands. The moment slipped.
But little did anyone know — that miss was only a teaser. Because those two — Stewart and Maclaren — would return to finish the job.
With the match locked at 1-1 after regulation time, it was down to 30 more minutes. Thirty minutes to carve history, to decide who would lift the silverware.
And then came the 96th minute.
The ball found Stewart again, ever the orchestrator. He threaded it through with precision, and this time, Maclaren did not miss. A low, clinical finish — redemption in its truest form. The Mariners had struck. The stadium erupted.
The curse was broken. The wait was over. The crown was theirs.
Mohun Bagan still has an unfinished task at hand.
For all the unbeaten runs, the nail-biting thrillers, and the heartbreaks in finals past, this win felt like poetic justice for the Mariners. But even as the celebrations roar on, unfinished business remains across borders in Asia.
Their rivals, Bengaluru FC, came agonizingly close in 2016, reaching the final of the AFC Cup — now reborn as the AFC Champions League Two. The road ahead is steeper, the challenge greater. But this isn’t just about adding another trophy to the cabinet — it’s about putting Bengal and India firmly on the Asian football map.
And perhaps another tale of poetic justice waits to be written — especially after their unfair expulsion from this tournament last season. Because if any team has the heart, the hunger, and the sheer prowess to go all the way — it’s Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
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