ISL final: Bagan and Bengaluru lock horns

Saturday's final will be a tussle for power as both Bengaluru and Bagan like to play a possession-based, high pressing game

- Deepti Patwardhan

Two days. Two stoppage-time goals to decide the Indian Super League (ISL) finalists. One from a man who has been in such situations all his long career; the other from a player who scored his first goal of the season. Sunil Chhetri dwarfed the competition yet again, coming up with a diving header two minutes into added time to help Bengaluru FC to a 3-2 aggregate win over FC Goa in the ISL semi-final on 6 April.

A day later, Mohun Bagan Super Giant scripted a thriller of their own. Coming into the match with a 1-2 deficit, Bagan thwarted the rugged, if boneheaded, defence of Jamshedpur FC.

While Jason Cummings converted a penalty to pull them level, Lalengmawia "Apuia" Ralte, one of India's brightest midfielders, took a punt on himself and, rather than conjuring up a dazzling pass, drilled home a long-range shot.

The dramatic finishes have heightened the sense of anticipation ahead of the season's biggest showdown in Indian club football.

Bagan, the legacy club, will take on Bengaluru, the team that has set the standard for new-money franchise football in the country, for the ISL Cup on 12 April at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium. While this is the third Cup final in a row for Bagan, 2023 finalists Bengaluru are back after missing out on the playoffs last season.

The Kolkata club is also aiming for a rare double of winning both the league shield (table topper after the league phase) and the cup in the same season. Mumbai City FC is the only team that has achieved that feat, in 2020-21, since the League Shield was introduced in 2019. It may be the final stamp of excellence for Bagan.

The Kolkata team finished with 56 points from their 24 matches, eight points clear of second-placed FC Goa, to become the first team to defend the league title. The Mariners dominated the season, losing only two games in the league phase, but it was another roller-coaster ride for the other teams in contention.

CHAMPIONS GROUNDED