Jamshedpur, Aug 26: In a dramatic Durand Cup quarterfinal, Mohun Bagan clinched a spot in the semi-finals with a narrow 6-5 victory over Punjab FC in a penalty shootout, after a 3-3 draw in regulation time. Mohun Bagan will now face Bengaluru FC, who also secured their semi-final berth with a last-minute goal against Kerala Blasters.
The match between Mohun Bagan and Punjab FC was a rollercoaster of emotions. Punjab FC initially took the lead with a penalty goal from Luca Majcen in the 17th minute. Mohun Bagan fought back with goals from Suhail Bhat in the 44th minute and Manvir Singh in the 48th minute, putting them ahead early in the second half.
Punjab FC regained the lead with goals from Filip Mrzljak (63rd minute) and Norberto Ezequiel Vidal (71st minute), making it 3-2. However, Mohun Bagan’s Jason Cummings equalized in the 79th minute, sending the game into extra time.
In the penalty shootout, Mohun Bagan’s Cummings missed their first spot-kick, but Punjab FC’s Novoselec was denied by Bagan’s goalkeeper Vishal Kaith, who made a crucial save. Greg Stewart then leveled the score for Bagan. The shootout continued with Melroy Assisi, Subhashish Bose, and Aldred scoring for Mohun Bagan, while Manvir, Liston Colaco, and Dimi Petratos also contributed. Punjab FC’s Vinit Rai, Vidal, Bakenga, and Mrzljak scored for their team.
The decisive moment came when Vishal Kaith made a second crucial save off Denechandram Meetei, sealing Mohun Bagan’s advancement.
In the other quarterfinal at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Bengaluru FC advanced with a dramatic late goal from Pererya Diaz, securing a 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters. The match was marked by a clash between Kerala Blasters’ goalkeeper Som Kumar and Bengaluru’s striker Pererya Diaz, leading to an early substitution and the introduction of backup goalkeeper Sachin for Kerala.
Both teams had opportunities in a tightly contested first half, but Bengaluru FC dominated possession without finding the back of the net. Kerala Blasters came close in the 26th minute, but Bengaluru goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made a crucial save.
The second half saw Bengaluru FC pressing hard but failing to convert their chances. With Sunil Chhetri’s introduction adding pressure, Bengaluru continued to push. In the dying moments of injury time, a free-kick awarded just outside the box led to a corner. Pererya Diaz capitalized on this opportunity, scoring in the 94th minute to secure Bengaluru FC’s place in the semi-finals.
The first semi-final will feature Northeast United FC against Shillong Lajong FC on Saturday in Shillong.