Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina expressed his delight after his team secured a hard-fought victory over Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.

In a tightly-contested match where both teams' defences stood strong, Jason Cummings emerged as the hero with a powerful late strike, earning all three points for the Mariners. This victory saw Mohun Bagan SG move to the top of the table, level on points with Bengaluru FC.

Substitute Greg Stewart made an immediate impact after coming on. Returning from injury, the midfielder was unlucky not to score, hitting the post twice, but he played a crucial role in setting up Cummings for the winning goal. His brilliant performance earned him the Player of the Match award.

At the post-match press conference, Molina reflected on his decision to bring on Cummings and Stewart: “I was happy with the work Jamie Maclaren and Dimitri Petratos were doing. They were not lucky in front of the goal but they worked really well. In the beginning, I thought it could be a good moment for Cummings because Jamie Maclaren was tired. Dimi (Petratos) was doing some good actions but at the end, I gave the chance to Greg (Stewart), hoping something good could happen and it happened. Happy for him, happy for them, Jason Cummings who scored a really good goal. It’s a new step in the league, three more points. Back to the top. We need to keep going for the next match against NorthEast United FC.”

Mohun Bagan SG dominated possession throughout the game, and they were particularly dangerous in the second half when Molina introduced Cummings, Stewart, and Sahal Abdul Samad. The Mariners kept Chennaiyin FC under pressure, forcing goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz into making five saves.

Although Chennaiyin FC had a few promising chances, they could only manage three shots on target compared to six by the home side. Molina also praised Samad’s contribution and explained how Chennaiyin FC made it difficult for his team.

"In my opinion, both teams played really well. Chennaiyin FC was the team that (I) was expecting (to give us a good fight); really tough defence, really aggressive in the 1v1, following us on the pitch with their number five (Elsinho) following Dimi (Petratos) between the lines and not (giving us) too many chances. It’s true that with Apuia and (Anirudh) Thapa, we were not very clear with the ball. That’s why I put Sahal (Abdul Samad) on the pitch. He helped us with the ball, (providing) more and more combinations and actions where we could progress over the pitch,” Molina said.

”Chennaiyin FC put us under pressure with their good defending and attacking. We expected long balls, a lot of crosses. But our centre-backs, full-backs were really good in defending those actions inside the box. I don’t remember at the moment any header from the crosses. Maybe one or two, but we controlled that situation very well. It was a really tough match for both teams. Finally, the team who had more success in front of the goal and, in my opinion, the team who much looked for that luck because we were always trying to attack and look for the goal finally won," he continued.

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Mohun Bagan Super GiantChennaiyin FC2024-2025 Jose Francisco Molina