Durand Cup 2022: Bengaluru FC and Mohammedan Sporting share spoils; Northeast United sign off with win

At the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, Pritam gave an early lead for Mohammedan in the 13th minute.

It looked as though the Kolkata side would away with all points on offer before Sivasakthi restored parity for the Bengaluru-based side in the first minute of the stoppage time.

There was a brief stoppage in the play minutes before the final whistle when the linesman was hit by a stray object from the stands and hoardings also come off from a section of the gallery.

In the 72nd minute of the play, the Kolkata side were reduced to 10-men after Abhishek Halder received the marching orders for bringding down Faisal inside the box.

Earlier, in the first match of the day at Guwahati, captain Dipu Mirdha (64th) scored the opener for the hosts while Gani Ahmed Nigam (90+6th) converted from the spot in stoppage time of the second half to register a well-earned victory.

NEUFC finished fourth in the group while finishing their campaign with three points, while Sudeva finished at the bottom of the table with two points.

Sudeva looked the better side in the first-half dominating ball possession and creating chances. Sridarth Nongmeikapam, Issac Kwame Essel and Sukhandeep Singh all got chances in the first-half but they could not convert any of them.

Second-half substitutions changed fortunes for the Highlanders who looked a much better side after the changeover. Substitutes Jithin M S, Emil Benny, Gani Ahmed Nigam along with captain Dipu Mirdha created more chances for the home side.

The first goal was a result of Jithin’s fine run into the box from the left flank, dodging two defenders. He then delivered a cut back pass inside the box and the onrushing Dipu finished with ease.

Minutes later, Dipu had a chance to double NEUFC’s lead from a pass by Gani, but the forward blasted the ball over the bar in front of an open post. NorthEast continued to maintain possession and did not give Sudeva any chance to create any meaningful attacks. They sealed the match when Sudeva keeper Sachin brought down Dipu inside the box as Gani Ahmed converted from the spot.