#5 Mohun Bagan’s first I-League title and rise to the top
Trending
From 2010, Mohun Bagan started to slump downwards. Repeated failures gripped them in back to back seasons and they also failed to sign major players. Jose Ramirez Barreto was in the fag end of his career and the team exhibited a steep descent.
Subash Bhowmick was replaced by Sanjoy Sen in the year 2014 due to a fiasco in CFL and also a shortfall in licensing criterion. This change produced a remarkable watershed moment in the history of Mohun Bagan. Bagan finally turned the tide and went on to win their first ever I-league in 2014.
After ending as runners-up in the CFL and crashing out of the Kings’s Cup to Pune, Bagan drew flak from all corners. To add to their woes, they were ousted of the Federation Cup after a humiliating loss to Salgaocar.
Bagan vowed to prove their mettle and went on to produce a gilt-edged performance in I-League. They went on to thump stalwarts like Bengaluru FC, Dempo and East Bengal, and the league raced down to a nail-biting finish.
The stage was all set for Bagan and Bengaluru to belt out a skull-crushing finale. Bengaluru took an early lead when John Johnson scored the first goal in the dying embers of the first half.
With a draw needed to secure their first I-league, Mohun Bagan went out all guns blazing. The salvo paid off two minutes from regulation time when Bello Rasaq slotted home a powerful header to nullify Johnson’s early strike.
After the referee blew the whistle, the crowd went into a frenzy as the trophy drought for five long years came to an end. The stature of the tournament amplified the success a million times more.
