Shillong, Aug 20: Vishal Kaith once again proved the difference for Mohun Bagan Super Giant as the goalkeeper produced two decisive saves in the penalty shootout to send the Mariners into the final of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup, where they will face arch-rivals East Bengal FC in a much-anticipated Kolkata Derby.
The semifinal between Mohun Bagan and defending champions NorthEast United FC ended goalless after 90 minutes at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Thursday, before Mohun Bagan prevailed 4-3 in the shootout.
The Mariners will now meet East Bengal in the final at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday (August 23).
Both teams made two changes to their starting line-ups.
NorthEast United head coach Juan Pedro Benali brought in defenders Soraisham Dinesh Singh and Pramveer Singh, replacing Asheer Akhtar and Macarton Louis Nickson.
Mohun Bagan head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis, meanwhile, handed starts to Samir Zeljkovic and Kiyan Nassiri, with Anirudh Thapa and Dejan Dražić dropping to the bench.
The opening stages were cagey, with neither side able to establish control in midfield. Wet conditions at the JN Stadium made it difficult to string together sustained passing moves, forcing both teams to rely frequently on long balls behind the defensive line.
Mohun Bagan created the first real opening midway through the half when Liston Colaco’s free-kick tested Gurmeet Singh. The NorthEast United goalkeeper responded with an excellent save to keep the scores level.
Kiyan Nassiri then found himself in a promising position but chose to shoot from a tight angle instead of picking out teammates in the box. His effort, however, went into the side-netting.
NorthEast United came close in the 30th minute when Alaaeddine Ajaraie met a high ball from a set-piece with a volley that flashed narrowly past the post.
With the slippery surface limiting open-play opportunities, set-pieces became increasingly important for both teams, with each side earning three corners during the opening period.
Just before half-time, Sahal Abdul Samad produced an ambitious effort from distance after winning possession in midfield. With Gurmeet initially caught off his line, the Mohun Bagan midfielder looked to catch him out, but the NorthEast United goalkeeper recovered quickly and got to the ball.
The sides went into the break level at 0-0 after a first half in which neither team managed to produce a sustained spell of dominance.
The pattern continued after the restart, with both defences remaining organised and clear-cut chances proving difficult to create.
NorthEast United came closest to breaking the deadlock around the hour mark. Abdul Rabeeh sent a low cross across the face of goal, but Ajaraie was unable to make the required connection.
The Moroccan forward was involved again soon after, collecting a long ball on the left before delivering a cross into the penalty area. Etyan Gonzalez rose to meet it but could not direct his header towards goal.
The defending champions continued to look slightly more threatening as the match wore on.
Macarton Nickson also came close following a well-constructed move that began on the left before the ball was switched to the opposite flank. A cross found Nickson inside the box, but his effort flew into the side-netting.
Neither side could find the breakthrough, however, and the semifinal went directly to penalties after finishing 0-0 in regulation time.
The shootout remained evenly poised after both teams converted their opening three kicks.
NorthEast United’s Robin Yadav then stepped up for the fourth penalty, but Kaith guessed correctly and produced a superb save.
Jamie Maclaren followed for Mohun Bagan and calmly converted to put the Mariners in front.
Kaith then delivered the decisive blow, saving Parthib Gogoi’s penalty to send Mohun Bagan into the final.
The result sets up an eagerly anticipated Kolkata Derby, with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal now set to battle for the Durand Cup title on Sunday.
For NorthEast United, the defeat ends their hopes of becoming the first team in the modern era to win the tournament three consecutive times, while Mohun Bagan will now have the opportunity to add another Durand Cup title to their record haul.
