After the game ended 2-2 after 90 minutes of play, East Bengal advanced to the 132nd Durand Cup final by defeating NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) 5-3 on penalties in the first semifinal.
The Emami East Bengal (EEB) stunned the host team at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) with two strikes either side of halftime, and then struck again in extra time to force penalties.
Despite having two chances to convert, Parthib Gogoi missed his penalty as the Red and Golds scored all five goals to go to yet another Durand Cup final.
The winners of Thursday’s second semifinal between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and FC Goa will choose who will face the 16-time champions in the championship game on September 3.
The first effort came from the home team at the quarter-hour mark when a Pardo shot from a distance, but Highlanders custodian Mirshad was up to the challenge and forced a full-length diving save.
In response, the Highlanders took the lead after a turn. Elsey cleared the corner that Phalguni Singh had captured, but Tondomba managed to bring it back to him. A controlled cross into the box caused centre back Miguel to dive in front of the six-yard box and deflect a header away from Prabhsukan Gill’s full stretch and into the EEB goal.
With Naorem Mahesh Singh and Mandar Desai generating the most of the incursions from the left flank in the second half, East Bengal were more probing. However, the Highlanders once more scored, and this time it was Phalguni who did it all by himself.
The EEB defence only managed to get the ball as far as Tondomba in the centre of the pitch from a free kick that Phalguni himself had taken, and he then passed it back to Phalguni on the right side.
The small winger manoeuvred inside and outside to get past Gill, who was defeated on the dive twice, before executing a perfect finish with his left.
At the hour mark, Cuadrat switched to a full-attack strategy, replacing defenders Khabra and Elsey with Cleiton Silva and Gursimrat. Benali also made a double substitution, benching Phalguni and Manvir in favour of Thoi Singh and Gani Nigam.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, Naorem Mahesh Singh’s goal-bound drive from inside the Highlanders box took a deflection off Dinesh Singh, fooling Mirshad, and into the back of the net.
The drama was just beginning, as EEB scored from the ensuing free-kick just after Miguel was dismissed for a second infraction that could have resulted in a booking in extra time.
Borja received it and attempted to head it towards Siverio on the right side of the goal, but Mirshad blocked his attempt, and it fell for Cleiton Silva on the other side. When Nandhakumar received the cross from the Brazilian, he headed it effectively enough to defeat Mirshad. It was time for the tournament’s first penalty shootout in history.
Both Cleiton and his fellow countryman Ibson scored from the first penalty kick for the Highlanders. For the visitors, Gani and Crespo both calmly converted EEB’s second from the spot.
The red and golds’ next player, Borja, also scored for them, but Parthib Gogoi afterwards missed twice. When Parthib got another chance after Gill was ruled to have crossed the goal line before his first shot, he first hit the bar after Gill had saved his shot, and then he hit the bar again.
Mahesh Singh continued EEB’s perfect record with their fourth, and Pragyan Gogoi likewise converted, leaving Nandhakumar to convert the fifth in order to advance to a record-breaking 27th final, which he dutifully did.
-IANS
