East Bengal FC Beat SC Delhi on Penalties to Reach 135th Durand Cup Final
East Bengal FC defeated SC Delhi 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw to reach the final of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup.
East Bengal FC booked their place in the final of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup after a tense 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Sporting Club Delhi at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The first semi-final ended 0-0 after regulation time, with both teams creating opportunities but failing to find a breakthrough. East Bengal goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill emerged as the decisive figure, saving a penalty from Rodriguinho during the first half before denying Juan Sebastian Peña in the shootout. Mohamad Basim Rashid then converted the winning penalty to send the Red and Gold Brigade into the final.
East Bengal will now face either Mohun Bagan Super Giant or defending champions NorthEast United FC in Sunday's final, with the second semi-final scheduled to take place in Shillong on Thursday.
The contest began at a high tempo as both sides looked to establish early control. SC Delhi head coach Tomasz Tchórz deployed his side in a 3-5-2 formation, with Rodriguinho and Joseph Sunny leading the attack. East Bengal, under Antonio López Habas, started in a 4-4-1-1 system, with Dani Ramírez Fernández operating behind lone striker Jesin T.K. Thonikkara.
SC Delhi created the first opening through Peña, whose long-range effort went wide. East Bengal responded quickly, with Edmund Lalrindika producing an intelligent backheel to release Jesin down the left. His cross found Bipin Singh arriving from the opposite flank, but the winger was unable to make contact.
As the first half progressed, East Bengal began to dominate possession and push higher up the pitch. Edmund was influential in midfield, helping the Kolkata side sustain pressure, while SC Delhi remained compact and looked to exploit opportunities on the counterattack.
East Bengal came closest to opening the scoring in the 16th minute when Basim Rashid struck the crossbar with a free-kick. The woodwork was again struck soon afterwards as Jesin won possession near the edge of the SC Delhi penalty area and fired an effort that hit the outside of the frame.
Despite East Bengal's territorial control, SC Delhi produced the biggest chance of the first half in the 33rd minute. Rodriguinho showed excellent skill inside the penalty area to get past Sandip Mandi before being brought down. The referee pointed to the spot, handing the Delhi side an opportunity to take the lead.
Gill, however, had other ideas.
The East Bengal goalkeeper guessed correctly and dived to his left to save Rodriguinho's penalty, keeping the score level and providing a major lift to the home side.
East Bengal continued to attack after the penalty save, with Bipin firing into the side-netting and further attempts from Edmund and Rashid failing to hit the target. SC Delhi, though, remained dangerous in transition and ensured the match stayed evenly balanced heading into half-time. The second half followed a similar pattern. East Bengal enjoyed more possession, while SC Delhi looked for opportunities to release Rodriguinho into space.
One of the most important defensive moments came in the 47th minute. A long clearance released Rodriguinho, who raced beyond Anwar Ali and Sandip Mandi before entering the box. As he prepared to shoot, Anwar produced a crucial sliding interception to prevent what appeared to be a clear scoring opportunity.
SC Delhi continued to test the East Bengal defence, but the Red and Gold Brigade also kept creating chances. Basim Rashid once again came close in the 73rd minute when his long-range effort took a deflection and struck the post, East Bengal's third effort of the evening to hit the woodwork.
The Kolkata side nearly found the breakthrough two minutes later. Christopher James Ikonomidis produced a clever cutback for David Lalhlansanga inside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Nora Fernandes made an important save to keep SC Delhi level.
Neither team could find a winner in the closing stages despite sustained East Bengal pressure. The semi-final therefore moved to penalties.
East Bengal converted through Anwar Ali before Gill produced another crucial moment, saving Peña's attempt. Rohit Danu, Lalchungnunga and Christopher James Ikonomidis all converted, while SC Delhi stayed alive through successful penalties from Rodriguinho, Duvan Felipe Viafara Mina and Mohammed Aimen.
With East Bengal holding the advantage, captain Mohamad Basim Rashid stepped up for the decisive kick and calmly converted to complete a 5-4 shootout victory.
For East Bengal, the result represents a hard-earned passage to the final after a match in which they hit the woodwork three times and survived a first-half penalty scare. Gill's contribution at both ends of the match proved decisive, first in regulation time and then in the shootout.
The Red and Gold Brigade will now turn their attention to the second semi-final between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and NorthEast United FC. A victory for Mohun Bagan would set up the prospect of a Kolkata derby in the Durand Cup final, while NorthEast United remain in contention to defend their title.
For East Bengal, however, the immediate objective has been achieved. After 90 goalless minutes and a nerve-wracking shootout, they are through to the final of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup.
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