Mohun Bagan pull off yet another thrilling victory against Sunil Chhetri’s Bengaluru FC in the Durand Cup 2024 Semi Final | Match Review

bySREYAS MUKHERJEE -

Mohun Bagan pull off yet another thrilling victory against Sunil Chhetri’s Bengaluru FC in the Durand Cup 2024 Semi Final 

Pic Courtesy : Mohun Bagan SG Media

After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Punjab FC in the quarterfinal, Mohun Bagan pulled off yet another thrilling win against Sunil Chhetri’s Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Semifinal of the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup. The defending champions came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the 2022 champions 4-3 on penalties with Vishal Kaith once again being the hero of the shootout.

The Mariners coach fielded a strong side today with Vishal Kaith in goal, Alberto, Aldred and Captain Bose in the heart of defence, Manvir and Liston as wing backs, Sahal, Apuia & Thapa commanding the midfield and Cummings & Petratos leading the attack. The bench consisted of Arsh (Gk), Ashish, Dippendu, Amandeep, Saurabh, Abhishek, Tangri, Glan, Stewart and Suhail. This lineup was a testament to the fact that Molina had his eyes on the prize and was determined for glory.

The initial stages of the 1st half were mostly even with both teams having their fair share of chances. The Mariners suffered a big blow in the 26th minute with Subhasish being forced out due to an injury. With young Dippendu replacing him on the field, Zaragoza’s men sensed an opportunity and started a flurry of attacks with the likes of Pereyra Diaz, Chhetri, Vinith, Noguera all taking their chances. This tactic paid off as Bengaluru were awarded with a penalty (as per the referee) in the 41st minute courtesy of Liston's challenge to Vinith just outside the box. Chhetri made no mistake and put Bengaluru FC in the lead (43rd minute) at half time.

Bengaluru FC continued their attacking play in the 1st part of the 2ndhalf. Things went from bad to worse for the Mariners as a sloppy pass from Apuia in the 49th minute landed in the feet of Pereyra Diaz just in front of the Mohun Bagan goal, who meticulously set it up for Vinith who made no mistake in burying it. At 2-0, Bagan were staring at an untimely exit from the tournament in front of their home crowd. 

But the game was far from over, as we say, "90 MIN IN VYBK, EVEN THE WILDEST LIONS CAN BE TAMED."

At the 55thminute, Molina made 2 tactical changes by bringing in Greg Stewart and Ashish Rai in place of Sahal and Aldred. From then on, the match fully turned on its head. Greg had an immediate scoring chance in the 61st minute with Gurpreet making a fumble but failed to convert.But but body language of the Bagan players showed that they were not going down without a fight. They got their reward as in the 66thminute, Manvir was brought down inside the box with a pull from the back by Rahul Bheke and the Mariners were awarded a penalty. Our DimiGod made no mistake and Bagan were right back in the game. They continued their positive game with Stewart bossing the midfield, but were unable to break the Bengaluru FC defence till the 84thminute. In the 85thminute, Anirudh Thapa unleashed a fierce rightfooted strike and scored a stunner. In a complete turnaround of events Mohun Bagan neutralized a 0-2 deficit in a span of 17 minutes. The fans were witnessing a fairytale comeback. The match ended in a 2-2 draw with both teams not taking much risks in the remaining few moments of regulation time and all eyes were on Vishal Kaith to shine in the shootout. And the magicman did it again. He pulled off two massive saves, one of Halicharan and another of Jovanovic - ensuring Mohun Bagan’s place in the Final with a final scoreline of 2(4)-2(3). It was the 2nd match in a row in which Vishal Kaith’s formidable penalty saving abilities came in clutch for Mohun Bagan.

The defending champions will face a young and highly motivated Northeast United FC in a highly anticipated clash in the final on Saturday at VYBK.The match is expected to be an exciting one as both teams will be striving for glory and give their all.

Though it was not the best of performances from the Mariners, the “NEVER GIVE UP” attitude which they displayed today against a tough opponent like BFC was very impressive and something to be really proud of. And with Maclaren’s addition in the playing 11 soon,this team looks more than ready to challenge for more trophies this season.


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SREYAS MUKHERJEE

HELLO GUYS,I AM SREYAS,A STUDENT,SPORTS LOVER AND A SCIENCE GEEK.I WRITE REGULAR ARTICLES AND BLOGS.HOPE THESE ARE WILL BE HELPFUL FOR YOU AND YOU FIND THESE INFORMATIVE.PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS.THANK YOU.

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