Vishal Kaith turned hero once again, making two crucial saves in the penalty shootout as Mohun Bagan Super Giant booked their place in the Durand Cup final with a 4-3 win over NorthEast United after their second semifinal ended goalless after regulation time on Thursday.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will now face arch-rivals East Bengal FC in a much-anticipated Kolkata Derby final on Sunday.
Neither side managed to establish control in midfield during the opening 20 minutes, with the wet conditions making it difficult for both teams to put together sustained passing moves. With the pitch making it difficult to play through the middle, both sides frequently resorted to long balls over the defensive line in search of attacking opportunities.
The first shot on target came midway through the first half when Liston Colaco’s free-kick forced an excellent save from NorthEast United goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh. Moments later, Kiyan Nassiri had an opportunity to create danger inside the box but chose to shoot from a tight angle instead of picking out a teammate. His effort, however, only found the side-netting.
NorthEast United came close to breaking the deadlock at the half-hour mark when Alaaeddine Ajaraie brought down a high ball from a set-piece before unleashing a volley that narrowly missed the post.
With the wet conditions continuing to restrict both teams from playing their preferred style, set-pieces became an important avenue for creating opportunities. Both sides won three corners during the opening period but were unable to make them count.
Mohun Bagan nearly took the lead just before half-time when Sahal Abdul Samad won possession in the centre of the pitch. With NorthEast United goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh backpedalling, Sahal attempted an audacious long-range effort.
Gurmeet, though, recovered in time to reach the ball and keep out an effort that appeared destined for the target. Neither side could find a breakthrough as they went into the break level at 0-0, with clear-cut chances few and far between.
The second half followed much the same pattern, with both teams continuing to find it difficult to create genuine scoring opportunities. NorthEast United came closest to breaking the deadlock around the hour mark when Alaaeddine Ajaraie narrowly failed to connect with a dangerous low cross from the right flank by Abdul Rabeeh.
Ajaraie was involved again as NorthEast United looked to find a way through. The Moroccan forward collected a long ball on the left before delivering a cross into the box, where Etyan Gonzalez rose to meet it. However, the Spanish striker could not keep his header on target.
NorthEast United continued to create the more promising opportunities as the game wore on, although clear-cut chances remained at a premium. Macarton Nickson came close after a well-worked move that began on the left flank before the ball was switched to the right and crossed into his path. Nickson’s effort from inside the box, however, went into the side-netting.
With neither side able to find a breakthrough after 90 minutes, the semifinal was eventually decided by a penalty shootout.
Both teams converted their first three penalties to keep the contest finely balanced. Robin Yadav then stepped up to take NorthEast United’s fourth kick, but Kaith guessed correctly and produced a superb save to give Mohun Bagan the advantage.
Jamie Maclaren made no mistake from the spot, calmly converting his penalty to put the Mariners ahead.
Kaith then came up with another decisive moment. The Mohun Bagan goalkeeper produced another outstanding save to deny Parthib Gogoi, completing a memorable shootout performance and sending the Mariners into the final.
– Ends
