Back in the AFC mix, Molina’s Bagan have a point to prove
Times of India | 16 September 2025However, as Jose Molina's team is preparing to launch their AFC Champions League Two campaign with a home match against Turkmenistan's Ahal FK here on Tuesday, one could go back to a time not long ago but one that ruined their continental hopes just after one match.
On a Nov afternoon at Mohun Bagan's Maidan tent, a month after his team was deemed "withdrawn" from the revamped AFC tournament for refusing to travel to a conflict-ridden Iran for the match against Tractor SC, Molina had declared that his team would play in Asia again by winning the
.
Here Molina and his team is — back as ISL champions and in the ACL mix. So, what does this clash against the Turkmen side represent for the home team?
When reminded of his vow 10 months ago, Molina made his team's goal as clear as crystal.
"We want to prove to everybody that we are not only a great team in India. We want to prove that we can compete in Asia and try to do something great, you know. And it's a good opportunity for everybody to prove that we are excited with that opportunity," the Spaniard told reporters during a press conference on Monday.
No wonder that, having won pretty much everything in India, the country's most expensive football ensemble needs to test itself against the continental challengers.
The team must find that propulsive rhythm which helps it enjoy the warmth of a new challenge and a new identity. This is how you raise the bar.
Mohun Bagan's brush with ACL-2 for the second season running is also coming at a crucial time in Indian football. The domestic season for the ISL teams is still a month away from getting under way and no dates for the league have yet been declared. And just to put things straight, the season has been just four-match old for Molina's men when they crashed out of the Durand Cup with a quarterfinal defeat to East Bengal FC.
Bagan midfielder Anirudh Thapa tried to put a brave face on the situation.
"I think whatever is happening doesn't define how our preparations have been or how it could have been. We all knew from the start of the season that we would be playing in the AFC and our main focus has always been on that," Thapa maintained.
The visitors, on the other hand, are in the middle of the season and a regular in Asian football. Moreover, they have come here with no foreigners in a develop-local-football motto as revealed by head coach Eziz Annamuhammedov.
For the home fans, all eyes will be on new Brazilian recruit Robson Robinho provided Molina gives him his much-anticipated debut as the Spanish coach has a plenty of options to start his line-up.
Just like the last year, Bagan are scheduled to travel again to Iran to face their next opponent Sepahan SC on Sept 30. But before that, they need to keep the home fire burning.
This game at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday is laden with significance. The onus is on Molina's Bagan to start it in the right earnest.
