AFC Cup 2023/24: Mohun Bagan open their campaign with 2-2 draw over Basundhara Kings -

October 25, 2023

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AFC Cup 2023/24: Mohun Bagan open their campaign with 2-2 draw over Basundhara Kings

In the AFC Cup 2023-24, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bangladeshi club Bashundhara Kings engaged in an intense battle at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, resulting in a 2-2 draw during their third Group D match. Dimitri Petratos (29′) and Asish Rai (54′) netted goals for the home team, while Dori (33′) and Robinho (70′) responded with equalizers for the visiting side.

Despite the draw, Mohun Bagan SG currently leads the Group D table comfortably with seven points from three matches. Their campaign commenced with a dominant 4-0 victory over Odisha FC and continued with a 2-1 win against Maziya SRC in their second match.

Bashundhara Kings, having secured one win, suffered one loss, and played to a draw, have now moved ahead of Odisha FC to secure the second spot in the four-team Group D with four points.

In the first half, Mohun Bagan exhibited their dominance with superior possession and more shots on target. In the 20th minute, Liston Colaco came close to providing the home team with a breakthrough, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside call.

The Indian Super League club eventually broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when Hugo Boumous embarked on a quick run from the right and located Jason Cummings inside the box. Cummings then provided an assist to Dimitri Petratos, who executed a flawless right-footed finish to make it 1-0.

Nevertheless, Mohun Bagan SG’s lead was short-lived as Bashundhara Kings required only four minutes to level the score. Bashundhara Kings’ Brazilian forward, Robinho, found ample space to deliver a precise pass to Dori, who outmaneuvered Mohun Bagan’s goalkeeper, Vishal Kaith, to equalize the score at 1-1.

https://twitter.com/mohunbagansg/status/1716867613220089867

Robinho almost gave the visitors a 2-1 lead just a couple of minutes later, but his strike hit the crossbar, and the score remained the same at halftime.

The second half began with a bright start from the Kings, but Dori’s attempt in the 48th minute also struck the crossbar. Mohun Bagan SG then extended their lead to 2-1 in the 54th minute through Asish Rai.

Glan Martins intercepted a pass in the midfield and swiftly set up Dimitri Petratos, who, in turn, passed the ball to Asish Rai. Rai surged down the right and found the right angle to beat the Bashundhara Kings’ goalkeeper.

The Bangladeshi club found an opportune response for the second time in the match. Although Mohun Bagan SG committed more players to their defense, a foul by Asish Rai on Robinho inside the box granted the visiting side a crucial penalty in the 69th minute, which was successfully converted by Robinho himself.

In the final third of the match, both teams pushed for a decisive goal, but neither managed to find a clinical finish that would tip the balance in their favor.

It’s worth noting that the AFC Cup is the second-tier Asian continental club football competition following the AFC Champions League. The next match for Mohun Bagan SG will be an away game against Bashundhara Kings in Dhaka on November 7.

In the AFC Cup 2023-24 Group D, each team will play the other three teams in a home-and-away round-robin format, and the table toppers will advance to the AFC Cup inter-zone play-off semi-finals.