Mohun Bagan Super Giant kicked off their title defence with a 3-1 thrashing of Punjab FC in the Indian Super League, here on Saturday. Following a delayed start, Mohun Bagan dominated the proceedings against the I-League promoted side and had a 2-0 cushion going into the halftime with goals from Jason Cummings (ninth) and Dimitri Petratos (34th). After the changeover, Luka Majcen (53rd) pulled one back from a sloppy back pass by Glan Martins. But it was not enough as Mohun Bagan pumped in another through India forward Manvir Singh (63rd) to start the season on an emphatic note. ISL 2023-24: Check Out All Team Kits for the Ongoing Indian Super League Season.

Set up by India midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad, Cummings took a left-footed strike from the right side of the six-yard box to give the Mariners an early lead, which was doubled through Petratos, who utilised a pass from Liston Colaco before launching his left-footed shot into the bottom right corner. Minutes after he was brought in as a replacement for Subhasish Bose, Manvir used a Petratos cross to shoot to the top left corner with his powerful right-footed strike. Kerala Blasters Allege ‘Racial Abuse’ of Aibanbha Dohling by Bengaluru FC’s Ryan Williams in ISL 2023–24 Opener.

The match was delayed by 35 minutes to avoid broadcasting issues as the first match of the day between Odisha FC and Chennaiyin FC was interrupted due to bad weather. To avoid a clash of telecast, the second match of the Saturday double-header was deferred by 35 minutes.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)