The Australian makes amends with the winner after a botched penalty to beat the Maldives side; Basundhara Kings beat Odisha FC 3-2.

Jason Cummings of Mohun Bagan Super Giant celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Maziya in AFC Cup 2023-24 Group D clash(ANI)

Ultimately, it didn’t matter that Mohun Bagan Super Giants tried to be cheeky and failed spectacularly. Ultimately, Jason Cummings redeemed himself with a stoppage-time goal in the 90+1, his brace on the night saving Mohun Bagan the blushes as they beat Maziya Sports and Recreation of the Maldives 2-1 in the AFC Cup.

With two wins from as many games, Bagan stay on top of the group where Basundhara Kings, Bangladesh beat Odisha FC 3-2 earlier on Monday.

The penalty routine Bagan had tried in the 41st minute was the kind of thing that looks slick when done right and stupid when not. For Bagan, the latter happened. Cummings tried a pass instead of going for goal when Bagan were leading 1-0. And as they looked ridiculous, Maziya mounted a comeback.

Cummings had played a pass from the spot meant for Dimitri Petratos but Croatian central defender Sabastijan Antic, impressive all evening, second guessed the move and slid in to clear the ball. Five minutes later, in first-half stoppage time, Maziya drew level with a screamer from Tomoki Wada.


As Bagan retreated instead of trying to block midfielder Regan Obeng and then Wada, the Japanese midfielder unleashed a cannonball that gave Vishal Kaith no chance. It was their only shot on target in the first half and for all their domination, for 64% possession, it was 1-1 at half-time.

There was more of Bagan’s domination through the second half. By the 71st minute, they had forced 15 corner-kicks but the goal stayed elusive. Used for target practice, Maziya goalkeeper Hussain Shareef made a double save in the 50th minute denying Armando Sadiku and Cummings. Five minutes later, Glan Martins found Manvir Singh, in for right wing back Ashish Rai to add more thrust to the attack. But after cutting in, as he does so well so often, Singh blasted over.

Shareef, by then trying to disrupt the home team’s momentum by repeatedly calling for treatment, kept out a drive from range by Sadiku. Skipper Brendan Hamill then headed over and Singh’s crisp left-footer, Bagan’s fifth on target in a game they had nine, was kept out by Shareef in the 81st. Soon after, Sadiku and Sahal Abdul Samad combined to try and find Cummings but this time though Shareef was beaten, a defender managed to keep the ball from reaching the Australian by sticking a leg out.

Bagan started with six foreigners and but for self-inflicted scares through back-passes to try a rebuild from the back through Kaith, one of which by Anwar Ali in the 33rd minute needed a goalline save from Hamill, kept the yellow shirts pinned in their half. Cummings had scored in the 28th minute, his shot going in off the upright after Hugo Boumous, the most consistent Bagan player in the game, found him with a smart pass played inside.

It was another back pass this time by the visiting team that found Sadiku in the clear, forcing Branimir Jocic to bring down the Albanian in the 40th minute. The crowd of 26,795 would never have thought that Bagan would do what they did following the conversation between Cummings, Petratos and Sadiku.

Cummings could have put the game to bed but just when it seemed Bagan would be denied full points by stout defending, he found the winner by nutmegging Shareef after a pass from Samad.

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