In a fiercely contested ISL 2023-24 match on Wednesday at the Salt Lake Stadium, Mohun Bagan Super Giant defeated Bengaluru FC by a lone goal to maintain its dominance over the team it defeated to win the title last season.
Late in the second half, Hugo Boumous scored the lone goal to give Mohun Bagan their second straight home victory.
when giving up the goal, Bengaluru was reduced to nine men when Suresh Wangjam and Roshan Singh were flagged for fouling Mariners striker Dimitri Petratos.
Mohun Bagan's onslaught against Bengaluru's defending was the primary plot of the first half. The latter showed good backline organisation and restrained the obstinate host.
However, Bengaluru's first decent opportunity of the game came their way in the 12th minute when Rohit Kumar appeared to score with a strong shot, but Mohun Bagan midfielder Anirudh Thapa cleared the ball off the goal line. This came from the corner after Vishal Kaith of Mohun Bagan made a save on a long-range shot from Roshan Singh.
In the 13th minute, Liston Colaco and Boumous collaborated with a few one-twos on the left to quickly counterattack for the Mariners and break through the Bengaluru defensive. Liston, however, saw the ball bounce past the far post with his curler from the box.
In the 21st minute, Manvir Singh's cutback pass to Jason Cummings gave Mohun Bagan another chance. But the Bengaluru center-back Aleksander Jovanovic stopped the Australian striker's goal-bound shot.
After the break, Juan Ferrando's team came out stronger and won four straight corners in the 47th minute. However, Bengaluru's defenders remained calm to repel the danger, and the host was unable to score.
When Petratos seemed to be pulled down inside the box by Rohit Kumar in the 49th minute, the home team asked for a penalty, but referee Harish Kundu ruled there was no touch.
The Bengaluru defence was effectively guarded by Liston and Manvir Singh as Mohun Bagan continued to press forward. In the 68th minute, Cummings took advantage of a poor clearance from Jovanovic and set up Boumous to score.
While Bengaluru seemed to be planning a comeback, Wangjam was ejected in the 75th minute, and Roshan was given the boot in the final second of regulation. Petratos, who twice appeared to threaten to escape, was fined for the two players' efforts to stop him.