Kolkata, August 21, 2019: Mohun Bagan turned on the style under a floodlit Salt Lake Stadium and reached their 28th Durand Cup final (a record) with a 3-1 victory over Real Kashmir FC. Just like the first Durand Cup semi final the second semi final also involved late drama but Kibu Vicuna’s team showed great character and resolve to decide the match in extra time.

In the pre-match conference Vicuna had mentioned that playing on the wider turf of Salt Lake Stadium and under floodlights would suit his style of football. Staying true to his prediction, Mohun Bagan players took control of the match soon after kickoff and pegged back Real Kashmir FC, who are one of the best organized teams of I-League. With Joseba Beitia masterfully pulling the strings from midfield the youthful exuberance of Nongdamba Naorem, SK Sahil and Surabuddin Mullick caused a lot of problems to Kashmir defense.

In first half Mohun Bagan had several chances and dominated ball possession. The men in Green & Maroon further enthralled the home crowd with some nifty interplay and neat triangles of passes. Two such moves saw Beitia and Naorem flummox to Kashmir defence and get into shooting positions but in both cases their shots went wide. Beitia capped his fabulous performance with a smooth turn and shot which was saved acrobatically by the Kashmir ‘keeper.

Despite their dominance Mohun Bagan had failed to open the scores but that changed on 42nd minute. Gurjinder Kumar swung in a cross from the left wing. Salva Chamorro received it and with his second touch struck a sweetly timed volley to bulge Real Kashmir FC’s net. Given their dominance this was a well deserved lead for Mariners.

Mohun Bagan continued to dominate possession and attack in the second half but the finishing touches were missing. On 68th minute VP Suhair replaced Romario Jesuraj and on 73rd minute Beitia was pulled out, to a great applause from Mohun Bagan fans and Fran Gonzalez took his place. Mohun Bagan’s inability to extend their lead came back to haunt them two minutes before the final whistle. Showing great resilience, Real Kashmir worked a set piece which was floated by Loveday Okechukwu. Gnohere Krizo out jumped Gurjinder Kumar and headed past Sankar Roy to level the scores.

Refusing to lose heart after the late equalizer, Mohun Bagan players came out energized in extra time and once again began to dictate proceedings. On 92nd minute Fran Gonzalez released a defence splitting pass and Suhair sprinted past the Kashmir defence to make it 2-1 with a powerful right footed shot. Salva Chamorro also had a golden chance to add to his tally but his shot went wide. On 100th minute Mohun Bagan fans breathed a sigh of relief when Fran Morante saved a sure goal by clearing off the line a shot from Vicky Meitei.

In the second half of extra time Suhair came mighty close to making it 3-1 but his shot came off the woodwork. Vicuna’s supersubs Suhair and Fran Gonzalez finished the match off on 112th minute as the former converted another pass from the latter to score Mohun Bagan’s third goal.

Thanks to their neat passing game, Mohun Bagan kept an incredible 65% ball possession throughout the match. Their dominance was further evident thanks to the 14 shots that were on target. Kibu Vicuna’s team also silenced criticism about fitness problems with a great performance in extra time. Players like Ashutosh Mehta showed a never say die spirit and received applause from Mohun Bagan fans.

Mohun Bagan will face Gokulam Kerala FC in Durand Cup final on Saturday at the Salt Lake Stadium.