Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s AFC Champions League 2 campaign began on a disappointing note as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Turkmenistan’s Ahal FK in their Group C opener at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

Despite dominating possession for long spells and creating a handful of good chances, the ISL champions were undone by a late strike from 19-year-old substitute Enwer Annayev in the 83rd minute.

Annayev, who had only been on the pitch for a few minutes, latched onto a defence-splitting through ball from fellow substitute Basim Gurbanberdiyew and calmly slotted past Vishal Kaith to steal all three points for the visitors.

For Mohun Bagan, it was a frustrating evening where wastefulness in attack and lapses in defence came back to haunt them.

The Mariners had their first real opportunity in the 13th minute when Liston Colaco and Sahal Abdul Samad both saw shots blocked in quick succession. Jason Cummings then went close in the 37th minute, firing over after a neat exchange with Samad.

After the break, Mohun Bagan’s golden chance arrived in the 69th minute. Dimitri Petratos and Cummings combined smartly inside the box to set up Jamie Maclaren, but young Ahal goalkeeper Kakageldi Berdiyev produced a stunning save to deny the Australian striker from point-blank range.

At the other end, Vishal Kaith was once again one of the few bright spots for the Mariners. The India international pulled off multiple sharp saves, including two to thwart Magtymberdi Berenov early in the second half and another superb stop to deny Mirzoyev’s header in the 80th minute.

However, the defence looked shaky throughout, often inviting pressure by sitting too deep. The absence of Manvir Singh was also felt keenly in attack, with the team’s wing play lacking penetration and cutting edge.

Tough road ahead

Juan Ferrando’s side now face a stern test in their next Group C outing against Iranian heavyweights Sepahan away from home on October 21. With qualification hopes already under strain, Mohun Bagan will need to tighten up defensively and be far more clinical in front of goal if they are to bounce back.

For a side that carried plenty of expectations heading into the continental campaign, this defeat serves as a wake-up call that improvements are urgently required.

– Ends