ATK Mohun Bagan defeated Bengaluru FC 4-2 on penalties at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Goa to win the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022–23 championship.
Bengaluru FC was the first to tremble when Bruno Silva’s spot-kick was saved by Vishal Kaith, the unsung star for ATK Mohun Bagan this season, as the game went into a penalty shootout. The Mariner won the game as Pablo Perez missed the game-winning penalty kick while Mohun Bagan continued to deliver flawless penalty kicks.
Vishal Kaith wins the battle of gloves as ATK Mohun Bagan clinch their first ISL title
A battle of wits between Kaith, who won his golden glove this season for the highest amount of clean sheets, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who had made the most number of saves, decided the cutthroat grand final, which finished in a 2-2 draw after extra time.
After a challenging penalty shootout, it was Kaith who emerged victorious when the 26-year-old knew exactly where Bengaluru’s Bruno Silva would shoot his penalty and performed a full-length dive to palm the ball away from the goal.
The save changed the tide in Bagan’s favor, and they didn’t miss a single spot-kick after that. Sunil Chhetri scored Bengaluru’s next goal with his signature one- step kick to keep them in the game, but Perez capitulated under pressure and sent the ball sailing high over the crossbar and into the seats. Kaith’s spectacular stop and Perez’s missed opportunity helped the Mariners defeat Bengaluru FC 4- 3 in the Indian Super League final.
Match Summary:
The former champions and the improbable finalists had the worst possible start to the final despite being on a high after winning 10 of their first 11 games this calendar year. Sivasakthi Narayanan, their youthful star who was voted the ISL’s emerging player of the season on the eve of the final, dived in for a tackle in the offensive third within the first two minutes. The 21-year-old suffered a knock to the nose, leaving the field on a stretcher with his nose bleeding.
With Bengaluru’s style properly neutralized, Bagan was off to a solid start in the finals. Ashique Kuruniyan of Bagan stepped into the box in the 14th minute and engaged Roy Krishna in an aerial battle. Under pressure to keep the ball away from Kuruniyan, Krishna handled the ball, giving Bagan a penalty. Sandhu was unable to save when Petratos attacked and found the side netting.
Krishna atoned for his early error by winning a penalty in the first half’s extra time, which Chhetri duly converted. With less than 15 minutes remaining in the second half, the Fijian attacker made the highest leap in a packed area to head Bengaluru’s opening goal against his former team.
Their happiness, however, was short-lived as the referee controversially awarded a penalty to Bagan in the 85th minute after Kiyan Giri was determined to have been hauled down inside the box, even though the initial contact may have been just outside, according to the replays.
Then, Petratos stepped up and beat Sandhu once more to equalize the game and send it into overtime. Bagan had a great opportunity to win the match in overtime, but striker Manvir Singh missed an uncontested header. The missed opportunity, however, did not deter Bagan, who maintained their composure in the shootout to win their first championship.