Stadium erupts in cheers as local club retains ISL shield
Times of India | 24 February 2025
12 Kolkata: Fans erupted in joy as Mohun Bagan SG on Sunday became the first team to defend the shield in the history of the Indian Super League (ISL) after beating Odisha FC 1-nil.
Thousands of die-hard Mohun Bagan supporters who went to the Salt Lake stadium started celebrations as the team scored the first goal at the 93rd minute. About 170 members of Birati Mariners, a fan club, went to the stadium to celebrate their favourite team's win with abir, flags and banners. "We were confident and positive from the very beginning that we will bring three full points," said Raja Roy, president of Birati Mariners.
"It is time for us to celebrate. We knew we were only one match away from retaining the league shield," said Pradipta Majumdar, a resident of Baguiati and a Mohun Bagan supporter who went to watch the match with his friends.
"We were confident of a victory and retaining the league shield. We did not want to depend on the remaining last-leg matches. Now, it is time for us to celebrate," said Salt Lake resident Nilanjan Brahma.
"It is a special moment for us as we won the ISL league shield twice in a row. We were confident that we will confirm the retaining of the league today itself," said Kaustav De, a die-hard Mohun Bagan supporter and resident of Rajarhat.
Mohun Bagan made several threatening moves throughout the match and came tantalizingly close to scoring. And every time a move fizzled out, fans cried out in anguish. Manvir Singh, Peteratos and Clayton orchestrated the moves as the maroon-and-green brigade dominated the proceedings.
Every time Petratos came near the goal mouth, fans erupted in anticipatory cheers. The whole stadium waited for the Odisha defence to crack. "It was agony as the minutes ticked by. A draw would have deferred our shield victory. When Petratos netted the winner in added time, it was sheer ecstasy," said Souvik De, a Mohun Bagan fan.
Tollygunge Mohun Bagan supporter Raja Ray switched between the India-Paksitan duel and the Mohun Bagan match. "Somehow, I had a feeling that we will win both. Eventually, the Indo-Pak match turned out to be more one-sided. Though Mohun Bagan easily played better than Odisha, we had to wait till the closing moments to seal the victory," he said.
Stay updated with breaking news, bank holidays and upcoming public holidays in march.