KOLKATA, INDIA: Mohun Bagan Super Giant defeated Kerala Blasters 2-0 in the opening encounter of the much-delayed 2025-26 edition of the Indian Super League at the Salt Lake Stadium (VBYK) in the city on Saturday, February 14. Jamie Maclaren fired home the opening goal of this season in the 37th minute, with Tom Aldred doubling their advantage in stoppage time towards the fag end.
Maclaren found himself in a prime position inside the box after Dimitri Petratos set him up, taking a weighted pass from Abhishek Singh. The former turned himself 180 degrees and then fired a left-footed shot wide of Blasters’ goalkeeper Sachin Suresh. Aldred, who was brought on as a substitute in the second half, found the back of the net in stoppage time, with Sahal Abdul Samad firing in a lobbing free kick straight at the former.
Kerala Blasters were thoroughly outplayed by Mohun Bagan
The Scotsman lunged forward and slotted the header comfortably home, allowing his side – the defending champions of both the Shield and the Cup – to take all three points. The Blasters started well by keeping Mohun Bagan on the backfoot, but they did not create even a single chance all evening, and similarly, took no shots on target at all.
Even their passing accuracy of 79% left a lot to be desired, with the resultant xG coefficient being 0.16. The Blasters were thoroughly outplayed by Sergio Lobera’s men, who kept 61% of the ball and diminished their visitors’ chances, especially in the absence of their talisman, Adrian Luna, who is currently on loan with Persik in Indonesia.
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