AFC Cup 2021: How has Mohun Bagan performed in Asian club competitions?

ATK Mohun Bagan begin their AFC Cup 2021 campaign on Wednesday as they take on fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side Bengaluru in the first match of Group E in Maldives,

This will be the fourth time that the Mariners will be participating in AFC Cup. The last time they took part in the competition was back in 2017 where they were ousted from the group stage. Incidentally, Bengaluru FC was in the same group as Mohun Bagan and had qualified for the next round as group toppers.

The first time they played in an Asian competition was way back in 1987 when they took part in the Asian Club Competition which is now the AFC Champions League. The Green and Maroons have played in an Asian club competition on 10 occasions.

Editors’ Picks

As Antonio Lopez Habas’ men gear up to kick off their AFC Cup campaign, we take a look at the Kolkata giants’ performances in Asia.

How has Mohun Bagan performed in Asian club competitions?

1987-88 Asian Cup Championship

Mohun Bagan made their Asian debut in 1987 when they took part in the qualifying stages of the Asian Club Championship. The Mariners were clubbed in Group 2 alongside Al Rasheed (Iraq), Mohammedan SC (Bangladesh), Manang Marsyangdi (Nepal) and PAF FC (Pakistan).

Bagan defeated Manang Marsyangdi and PAF FC and drew against Mohammedan. Their only defeat came against group toppers Al Rasheed. The Indian club was ousted from the group stage after finishing second.

Fixtures	Results
Al Rasheed vs Mohun Bagan	2-0
Mohun Bagan vs Manang Marsyangdi	6-1
Mohun Bagan vs PAF FC	4-1
Mohun Bagan vs Mohammedan SC	2-2

1988-89 Asian Club Championship

In the 1988-89 edition, Mohun Bagan managed to go past the qualifying round beating Fanja (Oman), Crescent Textile (Pakistan) and Kathmandu SC (Nepal). The Mariners scored 13 goals and won all three matches to qualify for the next round. 

In the semifinal group round, they were clubbed with Al Rasheed (Iraq), Guangdong Wanbao (China) and Kazma SC (Kuwait). The Indian club lost all three matches and were ousted from the competition.

Fixtures	Results
Mohun Bagan vs Crescent Textile	8-0
Mohun Bagan vs Kathmandu SC	4-2
Mohun Bagan vs Fanja	1-0

Semifinal Group Round results

Fixtures	Results
Kazma SC vs Mohun Bagan	1-0
Guangdong Wanbao vs Mohun Bagan	6-0
Al Rasheed vs Mohun Bagan	4-0

1994-85 Asian Club Championship

In this edition of the Asian Club Championship, Mohun Bagan were placed alongside New Radiant (Maldives) and Ratnam SC (Sri Lanka) in the South Asian qualifying preliminary round. The Mariners remained unbeaten in the group stages but got knocked out in the second round to Thai Farmers Bank FC.

They lost 4-0 in the first leg away from home. But due to a plague threat in India, AFC ordered that the return leg will be played in Malaysia. Bagan objected to the decision but the apex governing body in Asia was not convinced. Instead, the Indian club was ejected from the competition, fined $3000 and banned from AFC competitions for three years. The ban was later removed.

Preliminary round

Fixtures	Results
Mohun Bagan vs Club Valencia	7-1
Mohun Bagan vs Ratnam SC	5-1

Second round

Fixtures	Results
Thai Farmers Bank FC vs Mohun Bagan	4-0
Mohun Bagan vs Thai Farmers Bank FC	0-3

1995-96 Asian Club Championship

In the very first round, Mohun Bagan were shown the door after they lost to Maldivian outfit Club Valencia. In the first leg, Bagan won 2-1 but went down narrowly by a goal away from home. Valencia progressed by virtue of the away goal. 

Fixture	Results
Mohun Bagan vs Club Valencia	2-1
Club Valencia vs Mohun Bagan	1-0

1999-20 Asian Club Championship

Mohun Bagan defeated Muktijodha Sangsad 2-1 in aggregate in the first round but in the next round, they meekly surrendered to eventual runners-up of the competition Jubilo Iwata. In the first leg, the Japanese outfit won 8-0 and upon mutual agreement, the return leg was not played.