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Durand Cup Final Match Preview: Mumbai City FC vs Bengaluru FC

The Islanders square off against fellow ISL side Bengaluru FC in the big Durand Cup Final on Sunday.

After defeating Mohammedan SC in a nail-biting semi-final encounter, Mumbai City FC will face fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side Bengaluru FC in the Durand Cup 2022 Final. Mumbai City FC defeated the Black Panthers 1-0 in the semi-finals, owing to a late deciding goal by Bipin Singh. The 131st Durand Cup final will take place on September 18, 2022, at 6 p.m. IST at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

The Islanders enjoyed a near-perfect group stage, winning 5-1 and 4-1 against Rajasthan United FC and the Indian Navy. Despite a 1-1 tie with ATK Mohun Bagan in the group rounds and a 4-3 defeat to East Bengal, they qualified for the 2022 Durand Cup as the best team in Group B. Des Buckingham’s team defeated Chennaiyin FC 5-3 in extra time in their quarter-final match. Their semi-final encounter against Mohammedan SC was in a hard-fought triumph for the Islanders, who won 1-0. The prolific play of Chhangte and Stewart has seen them score 7 and 6 goals, respectively, at Asia’s oldest football competition, propelling the Islanders to the top of the 2022 Durand Cup scoring chart with 19 goals in 6 games.

Bengaluru FC, on the other side, won their first two games, 2-1 and 4-0, against Jamshedpur FC and the Indian Air Force squad, respectively. They drew their last two group games, 2-2 and 1-1, against FC Goa and Mohammedan SC, respectively. The Blues’ quarter-final match against Odisha FC finished 2-1 after extra time, courtesy of a last-gasp goal from prolific attacker Roy Krishna. The Blues’ semi-final match against defending Indian Super League winners, Hyderabad FC, concluded 1-0 in favour of Simon Grayson’s side.

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Head coach Des Buckingham remarked prior of the Final, “The game I’m anticipating is an intriguing one. We’ve established a style of play that I describe as an exciting brand of football that is attack-based and possession-based. The squad has already demonstrated this with the number of goals scored in this event. But if you look at the competition, they’ve had a terrific run in the tournament and have some excellent players as well. As a result, I anticipate a really terrific and thrilling final for everyone involved.”

When asked whether he had any advice for his teammates, Mumbai City captain Mourtada Fall stated, “Same as usual, all the players need to be professional and work as a team, support each other, and keep excellent communication since it is vital to winning the game. We’ve made it to the final, but it’s not time to celebrate just yet; we need to give it our all on the field to earn the outcome we desire.”

Team Updates

Des Buckingham has announced that his squad would be the same as it was in the quarterfinal against Mohammedan SC.

Kajal S

Kajal S

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