Kolkata: It took 90 minutes of football and 17 penalty kicks to separate these two sides — and in the end, Mohun Bagan Super Giant just about had the nerve to outlast Jamshedpur FC 9-8 on penalties, booking their spot in the Durand Cup semi-finals after a 1-1 draw at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Monday.
A Fast Start
Mohun Bagan wasted no time. Inside two minutes, a loose pass from Pronay Halder fell awkwardly, and Sahal Abdul Samad pounced — driving into the box and slotting home low into the corner. The early goal seemed to settle the home crowd, and Tekcham Abhishek Singh and Subhasish Bose kept probing down the flanks to keep Jamshedpur pinned back.
But the visitors slowly worked their way into the game. In the 17th minute, Aman CK was played through by Lalrhriatpuia Chawngthu and went for goal from a tight angle, only to be denied by a smart save from Vishal Kaith.
Jamshedpur Level Before the Break
Jamshedpur kept knocking, and a Chawngthu free-kick nearly found the net in the 25th minute when Pratik Chowdhary’s header at the far post drifted just over. At the other end, Mohun Bagan had their own near-misses — Dejan Drazic headed wide from a Sahal-Liston Colaco combination, and later failed to connect properly with a cross from Abhishek.
Then, right before half-time, Jamshedpur got their reward. Rashithoi Meetei let fly from outside the box, Kaith could only push the shot away, and Devendra Murgaonkar was on hand to bury the rebound. 1-1 at the break.
End-to-End Second Half
The second half kept up the pace. Aman CK stayed a threat for Jamshedpur, while Mohun Bagan created their own openings — Sahal cutting inside in the 49th minute but firing over, and Alberto Rodriguez heading wide from a Kiyan Nassiri corner shortly after.
Chances kept coming for both sides: Samir Zeljkovic tested Albino Gomes in the 61st minute, and Mohun Bagan spurned a golden opportunity two minutes later when a scramble in the box saw Liston fail to convert after Sahal squared the ball across goal. Jamshedpur had one final sniff through Sanan Mohammed, whose first-time shot sailed well over.
Substitute Sayan Banerjee almost snatched a late winner, first setting up Jamie Maclaren with a low ball that went unconverted, then forcing a save of his own from Albino Gomes deep into stoppage time. Nothing more came of it, and the game went to penalties.
Shootout for the Ages
What followed was as tight as the match itself — the first 16 spot-kicks were all converted without a miss. It was only in sudden death that the deadlock broke: Lawmsangzuala saw his effort saved by Kaith, and Tekcham Abhishek Singh stepped up to score the winner, sparking wild celebrations and sending Mohun Bagan through 9-8.
What’s Next
Mohun Bagan now turn their attention to the semi-final on August 20 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, where they’ll face the winner of the Shillong Lajong FC vs NorthEast United FC quarter-final.
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