Our goal is to make the fans happy, says Molina on retaining League Winners’ Shield
Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) Mohun Bagan Super Giant have etched their name in the Indian Super League (ISL) history books, becoming the first-ever team to successfully defend their League Winners’ Shield.
The Mariners, under the astute leadership of head coach Jose Molina, have amassed 52 points with two games still to play, asserting their dominance in the 2024-25 season. Their remarkable campaign has been marked by several record-breaking feats – the first team to surpass 50 points in a single ISL season, the most wins (16) in a campaign, and a defensive masterclass that has seen them register 14 clean sheets, a new league benchmark.
“16 wins – it has been amazing. I am really grateful to everybody and, of course, to the fans. Our goal is to make the fans happy and today they are the happiest fans around the world. The support of the owner and management is really important for the coach. To win a trophy, you need to be a team. It’s not only about having 11 players, everybody has to feel important inside the team,” Molina remarked after their 1-0 victory against Odisha FC on Sunday.
The team has kept an unprecedented 14 clean sheets, surpassing the previous record of 10 held by Bengaluru FC (2019-20), themselves (2020-21) and Hyderabad FC (2022-23). Goalkeeper Vishal Kaith was between the posts in all those games, firmly leading the Golden Glove race with double the number of shutouts compared to his nearest competitor Phurba Lachenpa (7). Kaith has also become the first custodian in ISL history to touch 50 career clean sheets. The Mariners have conceded just 14 goals in 22 games, and are presently on an unparalleled 570-minute-long stretch of not conceding goals.
Molina’s side built the base of their success from home, securing 10 victories in their backyard so far – breaching the record for the most triumphs a team have recorded on their turf in a single ISL campaign.
They aren’t just the highest scorers this term with 43 strikes but have also netted the most goals from set-pieces (19), equalling the previously-held achievement by FC Goa in 2019-20. A battery of dynamic forwards, creative midfielders, and resolute defenders have pushed them to assert their dominance aerially, winning 59.9 per cent of those duels – the highest success rate in ISL history, along with 10-headed goals too. The side has netted 11 goals from corners, beating Bengaluru FC’s previous best of nine in 2021-22.
The Mohun Bagan Super Giant season has seen players step up and contribute from all areas of the pitch, with their defenders being lethal offensively, scoring 14 of their goals thus far. Captain Subhasish Bose has been at the forefront of this charge, notching six goals himself, shadowing the previous best of five goals by Mourtada Fall in 2019-20. Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh have been consistently efficient from the flanks, making a joint-total of 14 goal contributions between them, whereas Lalengmawia Ralte has come up as the heartbeat of the team at the centre, averaging 47 passes per game at 83 per cent accuracy and topping it up with 45 tackles – the third-highest in ISL 2024-25.
With their fifth consecutive playoffs qualification, Mohun Bagan are determined to go all the way after narrowly missing out on the ISL Cup last season. The focus is now on completing the double, as Molina outlined, “We are trying to win the two matches remaining in the season and even preparing for the Cup, because we cannot think the season is finished just yet. We still have a semi-final, hopefully, a final, and maybe even a Super Cup later.”
As the team basks on their glory before readying for their next game against Mumbai City FC away from home on March 1.
–IANS
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