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Football

Bengaluru FC wins its first Durand Cup with goals from Sivasakthi and Costa, defeats Mumbai City FC 2-1

Bengaluru FC defeated Mumbai City FC 2-1 in a matchup of previous Indian Super League champions to win their first Durand Cup championship. Siva Sakthi (10th minute) and Alan Costa (61st minute) scored for the victors in the final of Asia’s oldest football event, held at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Lalengmawia Ralte scored Mumbai City’s lone goal in the 30th minute.

The Islanders put forth a valiant effort till the last end, but their first Durand Cup campaign fell short.

Mumbai City FC were defeated in the 131st Durand Cup final by Bengaluru FC. The Indian Super League clash was a tactical match in which the Islanders dominated possession. Bengaluru FC’s counter-attacking skill, on the other hand, proved crucial in the game.

Mandar Rao Dessai started in place of Amey Ranawade, who was injured in the semi-final against Mohammedan SC. After returning from a training stay at Lommel SK in Belgium, Apuia was thrust into the starting lineup. Coach Buckingham announced an unchanged starting eleven for the final against Bengaluru FC, apart from these two adjustments.

The Islanders appeared to be off to a normal start. They were able to handle the ball well in midfield in the early stages of the game as Bengaluru FC sat back in their own half to absorb the onslaught.

Bengaluru FC’s game strategy for the final was obvious from the start. They were ready to give up possession in order to use the speed of Roy Krishna and Sivasakthi to counter and get behind players like Fall and Griffiths.

A long ball forward by the Blues dropped awkwardly for Mourtada Fall, who was being harried by Sivasakthi, in the 11th minute. The Bengaluru FC number 39 effectively robbed the Islanders captain of the ball and controlled it in the box. He floated it over Lachenpa early in the game to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Mumbai City FC, on the other hand, were easily controlling the ball in midfield from the outset and were hungry for an equaliser. Sanjeev Stalin found Chhangte with a beautiful ball in the 17th minute, but the 2022 Durand Cup top scorer’s effort was saved by Gurpreet in the Blues goal.

In the 30th minute, Greg Stewart was released into space by a fast free kick just inside the Bengaluru FC half. The prolific Scotsman surged forcefully towards goal and attempted a shot, which the Blues goalie diverted into the path of Apuia. He welcomed his return from Belgium with a clinical finish past Gurpreet to give the Islanders an equaliser. The scores were tied 1-1.

In the 38th minute, Mumbai City FC’s number 7, Chhangte, shown his willingness to participate and aid the club by clearing the goal line to keep Roy Krishna’s deflected shot from a corner out, keeping the game at 1-1.

banglore winsBoth Indian Super League clubs were going head to head, and both looked dangerous going forward.

Greg Stewart dived deep in the 42nd minute to pick up the ball in the centre of the park. He sent a superb through pass to Vinit Rai, who found himself in space behind the Blues defence, but his effort barely missed the crossbar. As halftime neared, the score remained 1-1.

The first half ended with the game evenly matched going into the intermission. As the score stood at 1-1, both teams had scored and put on a true exhibition of their abilities. The Islanders controlled possession but were unable to get an advantage in the final third in the first half.

The second 45 minutes began similarly, with both sides looking to acquire the ball and attack, with the Islanders in particular starting the second half brightly. Jahouh was getting on the ball in space and spraying passes around. Greg Stewart was wreaking havoc on the field by dropping deep to get to the ball.

banglore winsThe Islanders’ fluid off-the-ball movement created an opportunity for Bipin in the 47th minute. Mandar squared it past Greg Stewart after a deft run to locate Apuia, who crossed it for Bipin. The Islanders’ number 29 headed narrowly wide as the score remained 1-1.

Bengaluru FC looked dangerous from set pieces. Sunil Chettri found Alan Costa from a corner kick in the 61st minute, making good use of the height in their lineup. The Brazilian headed home at the back post to give the Blues a 2-1 lead. Costa was replaced by Parag in the 63rd minute after suffering a minor niggle.

In the 65th minute, Des Buckingham made a double substitute to liven things up. He replaced Fall and Vinit with Mehtab Singh and Alberto Noguera, respectively. Coach Buckingham wanted to use all of his offensive players, thus he substituted Gurkirat for Apuia in the 73rd minute.

After the replacements, Mumbai City FC appeared revitalised. Gurkirat was making good runs behind the Blues defence, and Noguera was getting on the ball.

bangloreWNoguera sneaked by Bengaluru FC players in the 77th minute to unleash a thunderous shot from the outside of the area. Unfortunately for the Islanders, Nogeura’s attempt hit the crossbar as Mumbai City FC attacked at every opportunity.

Bengaluru FC appeared to be in command of the game till the final whistle. They went deep and sought to counter to increase the 2-1 lead, while the Islanders looked to chisel out an equaliser.

Phurba was keeping the Islanders in the game in the Mumbai City FC goal. He made a critical stop in the 86th minute to prevent Sunil Chettri from scoring and keep the score at 2-1.

Coach Buckingham made a final substitute in the 88th minute, bringing in Vikram Partap for Mandar. In the closing embers of the game, the Islanders’ final opportunity broke the way. Greg Stewart dribbled past a few of Bengaluru FC defenders in the 93rd minute and blasted a shot just wide of the goal. The game finished soon after, with Bengaluru FC winning 2-1 against Mumbai City FC in the 2022 Durand Cup final.

The Islanders’ attention now switches to the Hero Indian Super League, where they will face reigning champions Hyderabad FC in the inaugural match on October 9th at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium.

Kajal S

Kajal S

kajal

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