Alberto Rodiguez’s goal in injury time helped Mohun Bagan Super Giant overcome Kerala Blasters FC 3-2 on Saturday, December 14, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata. The squad had won five in a row at home during the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024–25 season.
Despite having the most of the possession, the Mariners needed two late goals—one in the 86th and the other in the 95th minutes—to win all three points against the Blasters. After eight victories and two draws, the Mariners increased their lead at the top of the table to 26 points from 11 games.
The game got off to an aggressive start as Jesus Jimenez and Noah Sadaoui, the striker duo for Kerala Blasters FC, teased the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defense in the first five minutes.
Noah tried to score from outside the box in the second minute, and Jimenez tried to score with his left foot from within the box in the fourth minute, but Vishal Kaith stopped him.In spite of this, Kerala Blasters FC kept searching for forward possibilities as their whole midfield worked together to breach the Mariners’ defense. Pritam Kotal advanced swiftly and curled in a cross for Danish Farooq inside the box, but the latter’s effort sailed over the right post instead of hitting the mark.
Subhasish Bose entered the attacking assaults from the home team’s end in the eighteenth minute. He coupled up with Liston Colaco, who sent a crisp ball to the defender on the left side of the 18-yard box. Bose had a wonderful opportunity to score in his 100th ISL match for the Mariners, but Sachin Suresh stopped his shot with insufficient pace.
However, Asish Rai’s powerful long-range attempt, which Sachin deflected, gave the home team the lead in the 33rd minute. They then scored the opening goal of the match when Jamie Maclaren found the rebound and slotted it into the bottom left corner with ease.
Jimenez quickly and expertly manipulated the ball to send it into the bottom left corner from the edge of the 18-yard box, tying the score.
Following this play, Sadaoui sprang into action in an effort to score another goal and ride the momentum in the Kochi-based team’s favor. In the next fifteen minutes or so, he hit the target numerous times, most notably in the 67th minute from outside the box.
Despite the distance, his shot was well-directed into the bottom right corner, but Kaith blocked it. The Mariners’ defense was breached by Kerala Blasters FC in the seventieth minute.
As the Mohun Bagan Super Giants pushed up numbers during a set piece, Milos Drincic was in the ideal position to strike the ball into the upper center of the goal, giving the visitors a late advantage in a crowded box.
The Mariners launched an attacking attack after Jason Cummings came off the bench in the 80th minute. Saturday was just another example of his lethal forward combination with Dimitrios Petratos. Petratos squared off a pass for Cummings deep inside the box, and the striker scored into the bottom left corner to level the score in the 86th minute.
The Mariners kept moving forward, winning free kicks and corners. Alberto Rodriguez, who was outside the 18-yard area, followed his instincts and fired a shot into the bottom left corner to give the home team their third goal of the game and all three points when the Kerala Blasters FC defense failed to clear their lines after a corner in the second half’s added time.
