Durand Cup: Mohun Bagan Super Giant blank Indian Air Force 6-0 to top Group A

KOLKATA —  ISL Shield winner Mohun Bagan Super Giant put six goals across Indian Air Force FT to go on top of Group A above arch-rivals East Bengal on virtue of goal difference in the 133rd Durand Cup which was played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

This result makes the Kolkata Derby on August 18 a must-win affair for both sides to decide the group winners and for a place in the knockouts.

Jason Cummings scored a brace, one in each half and Thomas Aldred, Greg Stewart, Anirudh Thapa and Liston Colaco scored the other goals for The Mariners.

Head coach Jose Molina returned to the side-line as Mohun Bagan fielded their star players for the game with only Suhail Bhatt, Thomas Aldred and Abhishek Suryavanshi keeping their place in the side from the last game. On the other hand, Indian Air Force head coach Priya Darshan fielded a similar-looking side for their last match in this year’s tournament.

Mohun Bagan took the lead in the fourth minute as they compounded pressure on Indian Air Force’s defence and the men in blue gave away the ball to the Mariners. Sahal Abdul Samad put Jason Cummings through on goal inside the box, and the Aussie striker put it past the goalie for the first goal of the game.

The Mariners continued to pile in the pressure on the Air Force men and scored their second, within six minutes. Liston Colaco’s free-kick was met by Suhail Bhatt whose glancing header was saved by the keeper Subhajit Basu but the rebound fell in the path of Thomas Aldred who smashed the ball inside the net.

There was completely one-way traffic in the game, with the Mariners putting relentless pressure on the Air Force Men. Liston was having a gala time down the left wing as he was continuously tormenting the defence with his trickery and pace. The winger deservedly got his goal in the 38th minute as Sahal rolled the ball onto the path of Liston and his first-time shot flew past the goalkeeper and found the net. Mohun Bagan were in total control of the game as the opposition barely threatened the Green and Maroon box with Vishal Kaith being a mere spectator between the sticks.

The Mariners continued to dominate proceedings in the second half. Suhail and Cummings missed opportunities to increase the score. The Airmen defended better in the second half but their resilience was broken by Anirudh Thapa’s blinder. The substitute hit a first-time volley from the edge of the box which found the bottom corner of the post. Jason Cummings completed his brace with a lovely left-footed finish to score the fifth for his side.

Mohun Bagan were in no mood to slow down their attack as they pushed ahead to score more, to keep their goal difference on the higher side. New signing Greg Stewart scored the sixth goal with a clever finish after being set up by Jason Cummings rounding off a wonderful performance and warming up for the big derby against East Bengal.

I-League side Inter Kashi FC will look to end their campaign with a win as they face Indian Navy FT in a Group B encounter at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Friday.