Bengaluru FC will face defending champions Mohun Bagan in the second semifinal of the Durand Cup after the two teams secured contrasting wins in their respective last-eight clashes on Friday. While Mohun Bagan edged past Punjab FC 6-5 in tie-breaker after both sides ended 3-3 in regulation time, a late injury-time goal by Pererya Diaz ensured a 1-0 win for the Blues over Kerala Blasters in another quarterfinals. In a match where fortune swung like a pendulum, it was Luca Majcen who gave Punjab FC the lead in the 17th minute courtesy a spot-kick but Suhail Bhat (44th) and Manvir Singh (48th) put the green and maroon brigade ahead at the start of the second half. Punjab were up 3-2 by the 71st minute with Filip Mrzljak (63rd) and Norberto Ezequiel Vidal (71st) finding the back of the net. However, Aussie star Jason Cummings restored parity in the 79th minute to take the game into the extra time. In the tie-breaker, Cummings missed Bagan’s first spot-kick but Punjab’s Croatian defender Novoselec was stopped by Mariners keeper Vishal Kaith from converting the fifth kick when they were on cusp of victory. It was Greg Stewart who promptly brought Bagan back on level terms.
As sudden death kicked in, Melroy Assisi converted for the Shers and so did Subhashish Bose and Aldred with the winning kick for MBSG, but Vishal’s second save, this time off Denechandram Meetei, turned decisive in the end. Among Bagan’s other scorers in the tie-breaker were Manvir, Liston Colaco and Dimi Petratos while Vinit Rai, Vidal, Bakenga and Mrzljak scored for the losers. The other match at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan started on a tense note when Kerala Blasters’ goalkeeper Som Kumar clashed heads with Bengaluru’s striker Pererya Diaz, forcing the Tuskers’s coach to make an early substitution and bringing in backup goalkeeper Sachin. The first half was a display of tactical play, with both sides testing each other’s defences but failing to break the deadlock. Bengaluru FC dominated possession, but despite their control, they couldn’t capitalise, with only one of their six shots on target.
Kerala Blasters came close to scoring in the 26th minute, but Blues’ goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied the effort from Noah Wail Sadaoui. The second half saw the Blues pushing forward aggressively, but they were unable to convert their opportunities. A notable chance came in the 56th minute, but Pererya Diaz failed to connect with a cross from Shivaldo. Bengaluru continued to dominate possession, yet their efforts were consistently thwarted by a resilient Kerala defence. Sunil Chhetri’s introduction in the 67th minute added more pressure on Kerala Blasters, but both teams struggled to find a decisive moment. In the dying moments of injury time, Bengaluru was awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Chhetri’s attempt was blocked by the wall, leading to a corner. From that corner, Pererya Diaz finally broke the deadlock, slotting the ball into the near post in the 94th minute to seal the win for Bengaluru FC. In the first semifinal, Northeast United FC will face Shillong Lajong FC in Shillong on Saturday.
