In the second Durand Cup semi-final, Bengaluru FC will face defending champions Mohun Bagan after registering a series of victories in their eight matches on Friday. The two teams drew 3-3 in regulation time, with Mohun Bagan beating Punjab FC 6-5. Meanwhile, the Blues beat Kerala Blasters 1-0 in the other quarter-final thanks to a late goal from Pererya Diaz.
In a very fortunate match, Luca Majcen put Punjab FC ahead in the 17th minute. Despite a penalty, the Green Maroons started the second half with Suhail Suhail Bhat (44th) and Manvir Singh (48th) taking the lead. Punjab took a 3-2 lead in the 71st minute with goals from Filip Mrzljak (63rd) and Norberto Ezequiel Vidal (71st). However, Australian star Jason Cummings equalised in the 79th minute, sending the match into extra time. The second attempt was blocked by Cummings, but Punjab Croatian defender Novoselec blocked it as the Mariners were about to win and Mariners goalkeeper Vishal Kaith snatched the chance.
Greg Stewart came on the pitch quickly for Bagan. Melroy Assisi scored for Shers at the start of sudden death, while Subhashish Bose and Aldred also scored the winning goal for MBSG Score. However, Vishal's second save against Denechhadram Mithai made the difference. Vinit Rai, Vidal, Bakenga and Mzlyak scored the losses, while Manvir, Liston Colaco and Dimi Petratos scored for Bagan. Vivekananda started another match for the Yuba Bharati Krirangan match, with Bengaluru forward Perea Diaz and Kerala Blasters goalkeeper Som Kumar clashing and early in the match, goalkeeper Sachin was replaced by the Tuskers coach. Bengaluru FC won the match there but failed to score in six attempts. Noah Veer Saadawi created a winning chance for Kerala Blasters in the 26th minute, but Blues goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu stopped him. The Blues put up a lot of pressure in the second half but failed to capitalise. Perea Diaz had a great opportunity in the 56th minute but Givaldo’s cross failed. Bengaluru still had the talent but the strong Kerala defence thwarted their attempts. It grew bigger and bigger but neither team could take the initiative. Bengaluru won a free kick in the last seconds of injury time just outside the penalty area. Perea Diaz finally scored from a corner kick to the near post in the 94th minute to give Bengaluru FC the win. The first match of the final will be played in Shillong on Saturday between NorthEast United and Shillong Rush.
