ISL: Gritty Mohun Bagan rallies to get past Punjab FC

Mohun Bagan Super Giant rallied to beat Punjab FC 2-1 in an ISL-13 fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Saturday. The second successive home win took the former champion to the top of the standings with nine points from four matches.

Punjab suffered its first defeat and remained on seven points. Punjab started brightly and took the lead in the third minute when Alfred Planas’ right-footed shot from outside the box beat Bagan goalkeeper Vishal Kaith to find the bottom-right corner.

Bagan struggled to contain the visitor’s swift transitions, with defenders Alberto Rodriguez and Rahul Bheke sustaining bleeding injuries in carrying out their duties. The host recovered with two opportunistic strikes later in the opening half.

Scottish forward Lee Erwin equalised in the 18th minute with a left-footed finish following an assist from Anirudh Thapa. Dejan Drazic then put Bagan ahead in the 42nd minute with a right-footed effort from outside the box that took a deflection off a defender before entering the net.

Bagan continued to miss Jamie Maclaren, Miguel Figueira and Apuia through injuries. The second half saw an intense contest, but Bagan gradually took control and created several openings. Erwin, Manvir Singh and substitute Liston Colaco were repeatedly denied by Punjab goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh, whose timely saves prevented a heavier defeat.

Kaith also made crucial interventions as Punjab threatened initially, but Bagan finished the stronger side. The result: Mohun Bagan SG 2 (Lee Erwin 18, Dejan Drazic 42) bt Punjab FC 1 (Alfred Planas 3).