The Indian Super League or ISL has not seen a rivalry that has engaged deeply in title-deciding affairs like the fixture between Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City. There have been regional rivalries and while historically the Kolkata derby has largely claimed the status, it has not been season-defining in the ISL till now. One of the big factors was the change of ownership between the two clubs at the same time in 2020, making them the wealthiest sides in the division. Mohun Bagan joined ISL through a joint venture with KGSPL while City Group took over Mumbai City. So the pair has often engaged in a two-horse race for trophies.
From their first season of the new ownership itself, both met in the decider for the ISL Shield and Cup brewing up a rivalry that grew even bigger. While Mumbai City got the upper hand in most meetings, the tie is a hotly contested battle and a close call each time. Mohun Bagan has found recent success in this fixture prompting a much more fierce rivalry in future. This game has decided two ISL Shields and Cup honours with more in stock. Moreover, the battle between Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City has been an advertisement for the league with national team players making the ranks and marquee signings from foreign leagues.
Mohun Bagan 0-1 Mumbai City - Islanders wins first meeting (January 11, 2021)
The first meeting in ISL history between the sides was an early title decider for the 2020-21 season. Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City met at Fatorda Stadium with games being played in a centralised zone due to the pandemic. The Islanders had the last laugh in the tie with Bartholomew Ogbeche’s clinical strike in the 70th minute handing them a narrow 1-0 victory after terrific work from Hugo Boumous. The Mariners had their best opportunity when Edu Garcia struck the post with the score at 0-0 with no luck on their side. The victory became crucial for Mumbai City in the title race.
Mumbai City 2-0 Mohun Bagan - Shield secured (February 28, 2021)
The reverse fixture which became the Shield decider came only a month later. It was the last game of their league season with Mumbai City requiring a win and Mohun Bagan just a draw to secure the top spot. This time too, Sergio Lobera led Islanders came up on top with a 2-0 victory that helped them with a first League Shield honour. Center-back Mourtada Fall scored early with a seventh-minute header before Ogbeche sealed the deal with both goals coming in the first half. The Mariners tried their best but were left empty-handed once again. The points were tied at the end but Mumbai City edged ahead due to superior head-to-head.
Mumbai City 2-1 Mohun Bagan - Dramatic Final (March 13, 2021)
As if it was in the making, Mumbai City and Mohun Bagan met for the third time in the same 2020/21 season, this time in the ISL final. However, the game was dramatic this time with Mohun Bagan finally finding the net in this fixture through David Williams scoring in the 18th minute. The lead was short-lived though as 10 minutes later a way-would clearance from Tiri rolled into his own net with goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya off his line. Just as the game was heading towards extra time, the Mariners committed another mistake leading to a rousing comeback from Mumbai City. Shot-stopper Arindam missed the flight of a long ball allowing Bipin Singh to score the winner and secure the first ISL title for the Islanders.
Mohun Bagan 1-5 Mumbai City - Biggest Margin (December 1, 2021)
The completely one-sided game came in the first meeting of the next season. Shield and trophy holders in 2021, Mumbai City FC went on a rampage and defeated Mohun Bagan 5-1. The Islanders went 3-0 up in the first half with Vikram Pratap scoring a brace, his second a controversial one, followed by Igor Angulo. The Mariners made their life uncomfortable further with Deepak Tangri sent off only seconds after the restart. Fall scored from the resulting free-kick while Bipin for the consecutive fixture sealed the win. William’s strike in the 60th minute was nothing more than a consolation for the 10-men Mohun Bagan who endured their heaviest defeat in ISL history. It was also the biggest loss Antonio Habas suffered in his ISL career.
Mumbai City 2-2 Mohun Bagan - Best game ever (November 6, 2022)
Quite understandably, being two big forces in the league, the duo has been involved in some intense games. Among these, the 2-2 draw in the Mumbai Football Arena sticks out as the finest game ever played in ISL history. The match was pure pandemonium with both sides hitting the crossbar four times including from two late shots in stoppage time. Both goalkeepers, Phurba Lachenpa and Vishal Kaith, had to be busy to keep the scoreline level in a match that was primarily attack vs attack. Mumbai City put themselves ahead twice with Lallianzuala Chhangte's screamer in just the fourth minute and from a header by Rostyn Griffiths’ in the 72nd minute. However, Mohun Bagan had the answer to everything. Joni Kauko’s strike shortly after half-time and Carl McHugh’s dramatic late header rescued a point in a terrific game. Adding to more drama in the unforgettable battle, Bagan’s Lenny Rodrigues was also sent off for violent conduct.
Mumbai City 1-3 Mohun Bagan - Victory at last (August 27, 2023)
Till now Mohun Bagan failed to beat Mumbai City in ISL or any competition despite making it a close encounter several times. Their winless streak in this meeting was finally broken in the first of the four matches against the Islanders during the 2023/24 season. The two met in the quarterfinal clash in the 2023 Durand Cup at the Salt Lake with the Mariners desperate to prove a point after losing the Kolkata derby in the final group game. The host pulled out a rousing 3-1 win with Jason Cummings, Manvir Singh and Anwar Ali rendering Jorge Diaz’s equaliser meaningless. The campaign became historical for Mohun Bagan as they eventually clinched a record 17th Durand Cup honour.
Mumbai City 2-1 Mohun Bagan - Cards galore (December 20, 2023)
The ISL meeting that season became famous not for the result of the match, players or managers. It was the referee Rahul Kumar Gupta who grabbed all the headlines by showing a record seven red cards in a league game, including three after full-time due to a scuffle. Greg Stewart who scored the equaliser to cut off Jason Cummings’s opener just before half-time was also sent off but Mumbai City were able to hand their rivals their first defeat of the season with Bipin Singh scoring the winner in the 73rd minute. Though defeated in this encounter, Bagan made a stunning comeback in the second half of the 2023-24 season to pull them back into the title race and set up a decider with the same opponents in the final league game.
Mohun Bagan 2-1 Mumbai City - Redemption (April 15, 2024)
Only once before the ISL Shield title decider went down to the wire to the final league of the game season in 2021 with these sides involved back then as well. The scenario was repeated at Salt Lake but with the opposite criteria to win the Shield where Mumbai City needed a draw and Mohun Bagan had to win. Mohun Bagan led by multiple ISL-winning coach Antonio Habas seized the opportunity to secure their first Shield honour in front of a roaring 61,777 home support. Liston Colaco’s stunning opener in the first half, sent off in the reverse fixture, showed Bagan the way and Cummings put the icing on the cake by finishing a swift counter for his third straight strike in this fixture. Lallianzuala Chhangte’s late equaliser and Brendan Hamill’s sent-off in stoppage time did not change the dynamic of the match as Kolkata became Green and Maroon that night.
Mohun Bagan 1-3 Mumbai City - Revenge in final (May 4, 2024)
Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC also qualified for the ISL 2023-24 playoff semifinal by finishing in the top two of the league and as if written in the stars, the two met for the fourth time in the season in the ISL Cup final. It was the second time in history that the two faced each other more than twice in the tournament in a single season. The Kolkata giants had the chance to do the double just like the Islanders did in 2021 but Petr Kratky’s side could not have let the opportunity to seek revenge slip by with silverware at stake. Mumbai City FC beat the Mariners at the same venue, the Salt Lake, silencing the huge support against them to claim a second Cup title. The victory made it sweet as they once again came from behind, with Cummings scoring again, through strikes from Jorge Diaz, Bipin Singh for consecutive finals against the Green and Maroons and Jakub Vojtus wrapping up a stunning 3-1 win.
