SC Delhi produced a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat debutants FC Raengdai of Manipur 5-1 on Sunday and set up a semi-final clash against Kolkata heavyweights East Bengal in the Durand Cup. After Chongtham Kishan Singh’s (9th) stunning long-range strike had put Raengdai ahead in the first half, substitute Joseph Sunny’s (57th, 67th) second-half brace turned the game around. Rodriguinho (82nd), Juan Sebastian Pena (90+3) and Augustine Lalrochana (90+8) were the other SC Delhi goal scorers in the quarter-final match.
In Kolkata, a first-half header from PV Vishnu saw East Bengal FC edge past a spirited Indian Army FT side 1-0 in another quarter-final.
The East Bengal versus SC Delhi semi-final will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on August 19.
In Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Stadium, it was FC Raengdai who took the lead in spectacular fashion against SC Delhi.
Chongtham Kishan Singh unleashed a bullet of a shot from around 20 metres that dipped late, struck the inside of the crossbar and bounced into the net, leaving SC Delhi goalkeeper Nora Fernandes with no chance.
SC Delhi immediately went looking for the equaliser and created a flurry of attacks. Raengdai’s defensive unit, led by Rojen Meetei, Lanchungrei Pamei and Amitkumar Singh, remained disciplined and repeatedly denied SC Delhi.
At the other end, Khaidem Amarjit Singh looked lively for the debutants as the contest developed into an end-to-end affair.
SC Delhi emerged with greater purpose after the restart, and the introduction of Sunny proved decisive.
The substitute came close to making an immediate impact in the 52nd minute after a brilliant run, before squaring the ball to Rodriguinho. The forward’s effort appeared destined for the net, but Kamei Pantiga produced a superb save to preserve Raengdai’s lead.
Five minutes later, however, the goalkeeper could do nothing. Pena produced a clever move before releasing Sunny, who collected the ball on the edge of the box and fired a precise low finish between two defenders into the bottom-left corner to level the contest.
The equaliser transformed SC Delhi’s confidence. Ten minutes later, Pena was once again at the heart of the attack, producing a sublime no-look pass that released Sunny with an inch-perfect run into the penalty area. The substitute found himself one-on-one with Pantiga, and calmly finished past the goalkeeper to complete the turnaround.
Rodriguinho scored four minutes later. The forward showed excellent composure to work his way past two defenders while controlling the ball before slotting a left-footed finish beyond Pantiga to put SC Delhi 3-1 ahead.
The final stages turned into a goal fest. In the third minute of stoppage time, Pena produced a superb dribbling run into the box before calmly applying a no-look finish to make it 4-1.
SC Delhi added one more goal before the final whistle. Substitute Augustine Lalrochana picked up the ball on the left in the eighth minute of added time, drove all the way into the box and finished stylishly into the far corner to complete the emphatic 5-1 victory.
At the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, East Bengal stamped their authority on the contest from the opening whistle, dominating possession and pinning the Army men deep inside their own half.
Indian Army struggled to put together sustained passages of possession, often relying on aerial and long balls to relieve the pressure.
East Bengal’s best opportunity of the first half came in the 29th minute when Jay Gupta delivered a pinpoint cross for Vishnu, who found himself unmarked in a one-on-one situation. However, the forward’s grounded effort went straight into the arms of the grateful goalkeeper.
East Bengal finally found the breakthrough in the 38th minute. Christopher Ikonomidis delivered an inviting cross into the box and Vishnu made amends for his earlier miss, rising highest to meet the delivery with a perfectly timed header into the right corner. Thakuri got his fingertips to the effort but could not keep it out as East Bengal took a deserved 1-0 lead.
The Red-and-Gold Brigade maintained their control for the remainder of the half, with Mohamad Basim Rashid trying his luck from distance shortly before the interval, although his effort drifted wide.
East Bengal nearly doubled their advantage around the hour mark when substitute Jesin TK intercepted a long ball from Rashid and raced past the advancing goalkeeper. However, his attempt struck the crossbar, denying the substitute an immediate impact.
In the 80th minute, Bipin Singh set up Jesin TK with a precise pass, but the forward failed to convert from close range. Moments later, Jesin returned the favour by putting Bipin through, only for the winger to squander another one-on-one opportunity.
Jesin had another chance to seal the result in the 87th minute when he met a cross from Edmund, but his header went straight at Thakuri.
With five minutes of stoppage time added, Indian Army almost produced a dramatic equaliser against the run of play.
In the 91st minute, Abhishek Shankar Pawar unleashed a dangerous effort that briefly threatened to spoil East Bengal’s dominant display, but the Kolkata side survived the late scare.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)