Mumbai City FC were crowned champions of the 2023-24 Indian Super League, after they defeated Mohun Bagan 3-1 in the final. Mumbai completed a second-half comeback after going down to Jason Cummings opener, before goals from Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Bipin Singh and Jakub Vojtus gave them the win and their second-ever ISL trophy.
The partisan crowd within the Salt Lake stadium raised the decibel levels when the game began, but were soon quietened down by a spell of Mumbai City possession. Petr Kratky had mentioned the importance of a good start ahead of the game after being caught out in the League Shield decider, and his side responded with a well-executed high press.
The visitors dominated most of the ball midway through the first hald but were unable to fashion any clear-cut chances, Jorge Pereyra Diaz coming closest after Hector Yuste cleared a cross from Jayesh Rane. Yuste was in the spotlight minutes later, as he was fortunate to escape conceding a penalty in the 27th minute, replays showing the ball struck him below the sleeve with his arm away from his body, only for the referee to wave away appeals from Mumbai.
Kratky's side were firmly on top, Lallianzuala Chhangte watching the ball crash off the crossbar from his floated cross from a set-piece on the half-hour mark. In the 39th minute, the woodwork denied Chhangte again, as he squeezed a shot from Vikram Partap Singh's low cross past Subhasish Bose, but the ball bobbled past Vishal Kaith and onto the post. The Salt Lake was firmly silenced, with Mumbai firmly on top an unlucky to not be in front.
All it takes was one moment to get the Bagan crowd alive and it took 42 minutes for the hosts to get their first shot on goal. Liston Colaco wriggled past Thaer Krouma and fired in a low drive from a narrow angle that Phurba Lachenpa cleared. It was enough to raise the decibel levels slightly and two minutes later, the roof was blown clear off as Bagan took the lead.
Dimi Petratos, inspired by the noise in the stands, opted to take a strike from range, and the late deviation meant Lachenpa could only palm it back into danger, where Cummings was on hand to lift the ball over the Mumbai keeper and into the net - a carbon copy of the goal against Odisha FC in the semifinal. Bagan had a barely deserved lead going into the break, and looked all set to pull off another Habas smash-and-grab.
However, Mumbai are a side who never know when they're down, as evidenced by their three goals in injury-time against FC Goa in the semifinal. The visitors didn't have to wait as long for their route back into the game, which came via route-one football. Alberto Noguera lofted a ball into the gap between Anwar Ali and Manvir Singh tracking back, and Diaz did supremely to hold off Manvir, and poke the ball past Kaith from a narrow angle to equalize in the 53rd minute.
The Salt Lake was silenced again, and Mumbai were the dominant force once more. Bagan had been disjointed in attack against Mumbai's defence and it continued into the second half. There were no major flashpoints in the second half, as the nerves in the stands was reflected on the pitch as well, with plenty of misplaced final balls amounting to nothing.
The deciding moment of the game in the 81st minute, via a scrappy goal from substitute Bipin Singh, who had also won it for Mumbai in the 2020-21 ISL final, also a comeback win against Bagan in their previous guise. Chhangte's shot was poorly cleared by Hector and it fell for Jakub Vojtus on the left side of the box. The forward, off balance, squeezed a low cross into the box, where Bipin was on hand, but mis-kicked his first strike and then scooped the ball in from the rebound, giving Mumbai the lead.
Mumbai could have sealed the win in injury time as Vikram led a 2-on-1 break but screwed his pass wide as the chance was wasted. However, they were not made to pay as Vojtus scored from close range in the 96th minute to confirm the destination of the ISL trophy. Mumbai's substitutes ran on to celebrate as a group along with the small pocket in the stands. The Salt Lake had largely emptied by the time the final whistle blew - a reflection of the magnitude of Mumbai's achievement.
They had come into the giant's den and slain the giant themselves, the most successful club in Indian football defeated, and the result being Mumbai City FC being crowned champions of the 2023-24 Indian Super League.
(You can relive the match as it happened below. Please wait a few seconds for the blog to load. If it doesn't, please click here)