Kolkata: “That’s a good question,” Liston Colaco said, the sentence possibly his way of framing a response and putting his interlocuter at ease.
Ahead of Saturday’s match against Jamshedpur FC, the Mohun Bagan Super Giant wide midfielder was asked how the year had gone, a year that had seen him win the Indian Super League (ISL) shield without making the kind of impact he had in 2021-22 when he scored eight goals and made five assists to announce his arrival in Kolkata.
Still looking his first goal, or assist, Colaco said he was doing the same things, following a routine similar to his first season. “I am sure it will come this season,” he said. It did and how.
Manvir Singh’s ball to him wasn’t anything beyond keeping a spell of domination alive following a corner-kick. With the perfect blend of confidence composure and chutzpah, Colaco, 26, transformed it into an assist. He controlled the pass, beat Rei Tachikawa, sent Stephen Eze and Wungngayam Muirang the wrong way before beating Albino Gomes in goal with a left-footed placement. A Cristiano Ronaldo-like celebration followed. “Individual brilliance,” said Jamshedpur FC’s stand-in coach Steven Dias. He needn’t have said more.
Colaco’s first goal of the season which followed Tom Aldred making his debut on the scoresheet had ensured Mohun Bagan would top standings. Then, Jamie Maclaren made it 3-0 in the 74th minute after Deepak Tangri’s long ball beat an off-side trap and found Manvir Singh who laid it on a platter for the Australian after taking Gomes out of the equation.
With three clean sheets in their last four matches, four wins in their last five, Mohun Bagan moved to 17 points after eight rounds. Bengaluru FC have as many but are second because Mohun Bagan have a better goal difference (+8 to +6).
Mohun Bagan now have 10 different scorers, exactly what coach Jose Molina would want as the league hits a four-month schedule without breaks. That striker Maclaren and defender Subhasish Bose lead the list at the club with three each is proof of them coming from everywhere. Singh now has five goal contributions, the same as injured playmaker Greg Stewart.
The first, in the 15th minute, came from a combination between central defenders. Dimitri Petratos’s corner-kick was not cleared by Jamshedpur FC leading to Tangri putting the ball in the mix and central defender Alberto Rodriguez heading to Aldred who, with Jamshedpur FC ball watching, scored with a first-time volley.
The second goal, in 45+2, was a proof of why Igor Stimac would say that Colaco can play in every position in the forward line. The deliveries after repeatedly getting the better of Subham Sarangi, the Jamshedpur FC right-back, and one of the five changes stand-in coach Steven Dias made after the 1-5 defeat to Chennayin FC, were not the kind Mohun Bagan expect but that Colaco could have ended the evening with two goals would please everyone of a green-and-maroon persuasion.
That didn’t happen because in the 84th minute, after Mohun Bagan had again got one ball behind the Jamshedpur FC defence this time by substitute Anirudh Thapa, Colaco’s shot crashed into the upright.
Jamshedpur FC’s season began with four wins in six rounds but they have fritted away the advantage with their third defeat in a row, matches in which they have leaked 13 goals. They lacked penetration, ceded space in the midfield which was controlled by Lalengmawia Ralte sitting deep and Petratos. It led to pressure on the defence that they never looked capable of dealing with. Emblematic of how wobbly Jamshedpur FC were came in Gomes repeatedly punching the ball instead of trying to collect it.
On Friday. Molina was asked if the international break would disrupt the momentum that had seen them notch up three wins in a row. In his quiet, confident way, Molina had said no. Hard work is important but so is rest, the Spaniard had said. After a little over 24 hours, Molina’s team walked the talk with a performance the coach described as “complete.” Mohun Bagan are where they were before ISL had paused for one last time this season.
