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Mohun Bagan’s Surprising Draw with Dempo SC:
In the fourth match of Group A, an unexpected event took place – the highly favored Mohun Bagan faced Dempo SC, resulting in a 0-0 draw. This outcome was quite surprising. Despite generating numerous scoring chances against Dempo SC’s robust defense, Mohun Bagan was unable to secure a victory. The Dempo SC goalkeeper, Ashish Sibi, made several crucial saves during the match. Even with the introduction of Jamie Maclaren and Manvir Singh in the second half, Mohun Bagan failed to take advantage of their opportunities.
Mohun Bagan’s starting XI:
Mohun Bagan’s coach, Jose Molina, implemented eight changes to the starting lineup. The players who started for Mohun Bagan in this match included: Vishal Kaith, Dippendu Biswas, Tom Aldred, Asish Rai, Abhishek Singh, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Deepak Tangri, Robson Robinho, Dimitri Petratos, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Jason Cummings.
First half highlights:
From the outset of the first half, Mohun Bagan maintained control of the game, while Dempo SC focused on defending solidly.
Robson Robinho was active on the left wing, keeping the Dempo defense occupied, while Dimitri Petratos attempted to create offensive plays. However, the Dempo players effectively collaborated to thwart Mohun Bagan’s advances.
The best opportunity for Mohun Bagan in the first half occurred in the 36th minute when Ashish Rai headed a ball delivered into the box by Robson Robinho, but it went directly into the hands of Dempo SC’s goalkeeper, Ashish Sibi.
Following this, Mohun Bagan continued to dominate the first half, yet they were consistently denied by Dempo’s defense. At halftime, the score remained Mohun Bagan 0 – Dempo SC 0.
Second half highlights:
The situation remained unchanged in the second half as well. In other words, Mohun Bagan failed to score a goal despite ramping up their attacking efforts.
In the 53rd minute, Robson Robinho executed a brilliant dribble inside the penalty area and took a shot, which was well saved by Dempo’s goalkeeper, Ashish Sibi.
During the second half, Mohun Bagan’s coach, Jose Molina, substituted in Jamie Maclaren, Manvir Singh, Apuia, and Alberto Rodríguez.
In the 57th minute, Dimitri Petratos delivered an excellent cross intended for Jamie Maclaren, but Maclaren was unable to connect with the ball.
Then, in the 69th minute, Dimitri Petratos sent a long ball to Jamie Maclaren, who skillfully controlled it and attempted a shot, but unfortunately, it missed the target. Mohun Bagan dominated the second half offensively while Dempo focused on defence.
A significant challenge arose for Mohun Bagan in the 87th minute when Dempo had a counter-attack opportunity, but Vishal Kaith came out of the goal to clear the ball in a one-on-one situation.
Following that, Jamie Maclaren’s header in the 89th minute went over the crossbar. Manvir Singh also had a chance in the third minute of stoppage time, but his header was off target.
Similar to the first half, Mohun Bagan was unable to score in the second half; however, they did create many more opportunities. Conversely, a well-structured Dempo team successfully prevented Mohun Bagan from finding the back of the net throughout the match.
Ultimately, the match between Mohun Bagan and Dempo SC concluded in a 0-0 draw.
Mohun Bagan is currently in second place in Group A:
As a result of this draw, Mohun Bagan currently occupies second place in the group with 4 points from 2 matches. Mohun Bagan’s final group stage match will be against East Bengal; if they win, they will qualify for the semi-finals. However, if the match ends in a draw, East Bengal will have a greater chance of advancing to the semi-finals due to their superior goal difference of 4, which is the highest among all teams in the group.
I have uploaded a video on YouTube related to the topic discussed in this blog, and you can find the link to that video here: