Mohun Bagan Super Giant take down Kerala Blasters to reach Kalinga Super Cup semifinals
Abdul Samad, Ahmad Bhat score the goals for the ISL winners
Bhubaneswar: Indian Super League Shield and Cup winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) beat Kerala Blasters 2-1 to enter the Super Cup semifinals here on Saturday.
MBSG, fielding an all-Indian squad except for Portuguese defender Nuno Reis, scored once in each half through Sahal Abdul Samad (22nd minute) and Suhail Ahmad Bhat (51st).
Sreekuttan MS (90 4) pulled one back for the Blasters, but it was too little, too late for the Kerala side.
The game began at a leisurely pace, with both teams not committing many bodies in the opposition half. After 20 minutes of no goalmouth action, Mohun Bagan SG churned out the opener with their first meaningful attack of the match.
With some lightning-quick footwork, Salahudheen Adnan twisted and turned past left-back Naocha Singh and slipped a cross into the six-yard box. Getting on the end of it was Samad, who swiftly evaded Ruivah Hormipam’s challenge and dinked the ball over goalkeeper Sachin Suresh to make it 1-0 in the 22nd minute.
From then on, it was all Kerala Blasters, who grew desperate for the equaliser. Noah Sadaoui cut in from the right and took a shot from distance, but he didn’t get enough elevation, and the ball landed straight into the gloves of MBSG goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh.
The Blasters became increasingly dangerous from corners. In the 30th minute, after playing a one-two with Vibin Mohanan, Sadaoui drilled a low cross that was cleared by Dippendu Biswas.
Later, from another corner, Hormipam’s cross-turned-shot almost landed into the top corner, but Dheeraj did well to tip it over.
In the added time of first half, Mohammed Aimen was fed on the left wing by Vibin. The midfielder cut in from the left before seeing his right-footer swerve over the bar.
Before Kerala Blasters could even get into gear for the second half, Mohun Bagan SG struck another goal.
Ashique Kuruniyan created the second goal from the left flank. The Indian international skipped past Hormipam and squared an inch-perfect ball into the six-yard box for Bhat to guide it into the net with ease.
The rest of the second half was all about Dheeraj Singh keeping the Kerala Blasters forwards at bay, but it wasn’t until after Jesus Jimenez missed a couple of gilt-edged chances — half-volleying over the bar in the 65th minute and then curling it wide of the far post after going clean through on goal in the 67th.
Three minutes later, Dheeraj palmed over substitute Kwame Peprah’s right-footed shot from a narrow angle.
With just five minutes to go, Peprah tried to set up Jimenez with a low cross into the six-yard box, but the Spaniard couldn’t sort his feet out quickly enough and missed it completely.
Dheeraj again made himself big to deny Peprah from six yards before Ebindas’s attempt on the rebound was cleared off the line by Amandeep.
The Mohun Bagan custodian was finally beaten in the 94th minute when Jimenez slipped a neat ball for Sreekuttan on the right. The substitute thrashed it over Dheeraj and into the back of the net, but it only turned out to be a consolation strike.
