Kolkata, Feb 6 (UNI) Mohun Bagan Super Giant defeated Punjab FC by 3-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Indian Super League (ISL) match here.
The Mariners became the first team this season to qualify for the playoffs as they now have 46 points from 20 games on the back of 14 victories and four draws.
A brilliant second-half brace from Jamie Maclaren and a composed finish from Liston Colaco sealed all three points for the league leaders on Wednesday night. This was also their ninth consecutive win at home, registering their 12th clean sheet in the current campaign.
The Mariners started the game with a lot of flair and panache as they made some dangerous moves down the middle involving Greg Stewart. The Scotsman had a glorious opportunity to put the hosts ahead in the 10th minute when he forced a save from Ravi Kumar.
Despite the early momentum, the hosts weren’t able to break down the Punjab FC backline and create enough openings ahead of the drinks break.
Jamie Maclaren and Liston Colaco did make a few surging runs but Punjab FC's backline did exceptionally well to thwart away the danger.
However, a ricochet fell kindly to Liston, who chased the ball and unleashed a shot from long range. But it was too weak to put Ravi Kumar in danger. The first half ended with Ivan Novoselec getting booked for a tackle on Liston.
Jose Molina introduced Ashique Kuruniyan at the start of the second half replacing Asish Rai hence restructuring the backline for the Mariners.
Subhasish Bose shifted to a centre-back role beside Alberto Rodriguez, allowing Ashique to play as a left-back, while Dippendu Biswas shifted to a right-back role.
Punjab FC’s biggest chance of the game came in the 55th minute when Abhishek Meetei set up Ezequiel Vidal on the left flank. The Argentine found Petros Giakoumakis in space in the penalty area. However, the Greek forward’s eventual effort struck the post on its way out.
Just a minute later, Mohun Bagan Super Giant made Punjab FC pay with a fantastic goal from Maclaren in the 56th minute.
It all started with Dippendu’s cross from the right flank and Maclaren showed great composure to control the ball before nestling it into the net past Ravi Kumar.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant extended their lead in the 63rd minute when Liston made a run down the left flank before nestling the ball into the net from a tight angle. Stewart was in the vicinity which made things tough for the Punjab FC defenders and Ravi in goal.
Later, Dilmperis made a couple of more changes in the 72nd minute with the hope of salvaging something from the match. Nihal Sudeesh and Muhammad Suhail walked into the field replacing Melroy Assisi and Giakoumakis.
His counterpart Molina also retaliated by introducing Jason Cummings in the 77th minute as Stewart walked off the field.
Following the changes, Punjab FC had a phase of ascendancy where they made some promising moves but the Mariners were resolute at the back and kept their opposition attackers at bay.
Things complicated for the visitors when a heavy touch from Asish Pradhan in the danger area saw Cummings retrieve possession before he squared it to Maclaren, who slotted it past Ravi to complete his brace in the 90th minute as the Mariners registered a critical victory to strengthen their placing at the top of the standings.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will play Kerala Blasters FC next on February 15, whereas Punjab FC will lock horns against Odisha FC on February 10.
UNI BM ARN