Bengaluru FC overcomes Mohammedan to qualify for the knockouts

   Bengaluru FC – 3 (Jovanovic 7’, Dipu (OG) 22’, Vinith 60’)             Mohammedan SC – 2 (Israfil 77’, Mahitosh 90+2)

Kolkata, August 06, 2024: Bengaluru FC overcame ten-manMohammedan SC in a five-goal thriller in a Group B encounter to become the first team to qualify for the knockouts of the 133^rdIndianOil Durand Cup played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Bengaluru finished their group stage engagement with three wins out of three matches to top the group. Aleksandar Jovanovic and Vinith Venkatesh scored for Bengaluru while the third goal was virtue of an own goal by Dipu Halder. Israfil Dewan and Mahitosh Roy scored the goals for Mohammedan SC.

All 43 matches of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten2 HD) as well as livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform

Bengaluru FC made five changes to the starting eleven with Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Mohammed Salah, Vinith Venkatesh, Suresh Singh and F. Lalremtluanga being brought on by Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza while Mohammedan SC Head Coach Hakim Ssengendo named a young starting eleven with Ashley Koli and Robinson Singh heading the attack. 

Bengaluru took an early lead in the 7^th minute from a well worked corner. Mohammed Salah’s corner kick was deflected into the dangerous area by Chinglensana Singh and an unmarked Aleksandar Jovanovic headed in to give his side the lead. Bengaluru were looking dangerous going forward with Ryan Williams and Jorge Pereyra Diaz troubling the young Mohammedan defence. Jovanovic and Pereyra Diaz tested Mohammedan goalkeeper ShubajitBhattacharjee, but he kept the efforts away. 

The continuous pressure led to the second goal for the Blues. They caught Mohammedan off guard on a counter attack as Pereyra Diaz beat the last man and went around the keeper to see his attempt deflected in by Mohammedan defender Dipu Halder. 

The Blues continued to launch attacks into the Mohammedan box, but the Kolkata side defended better and on the other hand made some good ones of their own, but the Bengaluru backline stood strong to fend them off and keep their two goal advantage. 

Bengaluru continued from where they had left in the first half. Talisman Sunil Chhetri along with Alberto Noguera were brought in by Bengaluru as they continued to make life difficult for the Mohammedan defence. Bengaluru soon scored the third goal as Vinith Venkatesh found the top corner with a wonderful left footed curler after Noguera won the ball high up on the pitch. 

Sunil Chhetri looked lively after coming on to the pitch and set up Shreyas Ketkar and Vinith but the youngsters missed their chances to increase Bengaluru’s lead. 

Mohammedan stunned Bengaluru by scoring one back against the run of play. Ashley Koli’s cross from the left wing was met brilliantly by Israfil Dewan whose glancing header beat substitute goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte.

Mohammedan down to 10 Men

Mohammedan were reduced to 10 ten men for the last 10 minutes of the game as a rash tackle by the goalkeeper Subhajit Bhattacharjee on Pereyra Diaz saw him receive a straight red card. Mohammedan had already made their permissible substitutions which led to defender Dipu Halder taking the goalkeeping gloves for the rest of the match and his contribution was to make a diving save of from a free kick of Sunil Chhetri.  

Mohammedan dominated possession in the last minutes of play despite being a man down and were threatening going forward. Mahitosh Roy scored an absolute stunner from 40 yards out of goal, but it was not enough as Bengaluru walked away with all three points and a place in the knockouts. 

Key games in Jamshedpur and Kolkata coming up tomorrow

Indian Army FT will take on Assam Rifles FT in a Group D encounter at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, in the first match of the day with the kick-off scheduled for 4 PM. Indian Army FT will look to secure their second victory in the group to setup an eventual group decider against Jamshedpur FC. A win tomorrow will take the Army men to six points, tied with the hosts Jamshedpur, which will make the match between the two teams on August 14^th, almost a qualifier. On the other hand, Assam Rifles FT will look for their first points in the group after their loss in the first outing to Jamshedpur FC. 

In the second match of the day, Kolkata giants Emami East Bengal will take on Downtown Heroes FC in a Group A encounter at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in a 7 PM kick-off. The Red and Gold Brigade will go on top of the group with six points with a win, above their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, who will play their next match on 8th August. On the other hand, Downtown Heroes FC who achieved their historic first win in the IndianOil Durand Cup with a 2-0 win over Indian Airforce FT, will look for an upset against the Kolkata giants to make things interesting in the group.

ABOUT DURAND CUP

A symbol of India’s football history and culture, the Durand Cup is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest football tournament. Organised by the Indian Army on behalf of the three Services, the Durand Cup has been the breeding ground for India’s best footballing talent, over the years.

The inaugural edition happened in Shimla in 1888 and then the tournament moved to New Delhi in 1940, where it was held till 2016. In 2019, the tournament came under the aegis of the Eastern Command and moved to the eastern part of the country, with Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football and the Eastern Command Headquarters, being the home base. What makes the Durand Cup even more unique is that the winners get three trophies, two rotating (Durand Cup and Shimla Trophy) and one for permanent keep (President’s Cup).

As we embark on this exciting journey over the coming weeks, let us celebrate the beautiful game of football, honour the traditions of the Durand Cup, and look forward to witnessing moments of brilliance that will be etched in our memories forever.