East Bengal FC booked their place in the semi-finals of the Durand Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 win over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the Kolkata Derby at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday. Dimitrios Diamantakos (38, 52’) scored a brace for East Bengal FC while Anirudh Thapa (68’) struck to give MBSG hope, but it was not enough to prevent them from crashing out. The result sees East Bengal FC set up a clash with Diamond Harbour FC, who beat Jamshedpur FC earlier in the day.

The opening half in Kolkata was played at an even tempo with both sides enjoying spells of possession. However, despite matching East Bengal FC in the middle of the park, MBSG failed to test Prabhsukhan Gill in goal and went into the break without a single shot on target. East Bengal FC, on the other hand, showed more attacking intent with Bipin Singh’s runs down the flank troubling the Mariners’ backline.

The breakthrough came in the 38th minute when Bipin was brought down inside the box. Diamantakos stepped up and calmly converted the resulting penalty to put East Bengal FC 1-0 ahead.

MBSG came out after the restart looking to claw their way back but once again East Bengal FC were sharper in front of goal. In the 58th minute, Diamantakos struck again. The Greek forward’s effort from inside the box took a deflection before looping past the keeper to double East Bengal FC’s lead.

Staring at elimination, the Mariners pushed forward with urgency. Their persistence paid off in the 68th minute through a clever set-piece routine. Liston Colaco rolled a free-kick short into the path of Thapa, who found space inside a crowded penalty area. The midfielder aimed for the far corner and the ball crept past Gill to give MBSG a lifeline.

The goal injected fresh energy into Jose Molina’s side, who pushed men forward in search of the equaliser. Yet East Bengal FC’s defence stood firm to limit MBSG’s chances. For all their possession in the final stages, the Mariners rarely forced Gill into meaningful saves.

In stoppage time, Diamantakos almost sealed his hat-trick and put the result beyond doubt. A perfectly weighted through ball left him one on one with Kaith but the MBSG goalkeeper stood tall to deny the striker with a sharp stop.

Despite that late miss, East Bengal FC held on to record a famous derby victory and progress to the last four.

Diamond Harbour FC upset Jamshedpur FC

Diamond Harbour FC continued their impressive debut campaign in the Durand Cup with a 2-0 victory over Jamshedpur FC in the quarter finals at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Sunday. Two first-half goals from defender Sairuatkima (3, 40’) proved decisive as the West Bengal side booked their spot in the last four.

The opening goal arrived in just the third minute when a long throw-in unsettled the Jamshedpur FC backline, allowing Sairuatkima to convert from close range. The defender struck again shortly before half-time, this time connecting with a deflected cross from Samuel Lalmuanpuia to double Diamond Harbour FC’s advantage.

Jamshedpur FC, who fielded a strong unit under interim coach Steven Dias, worked their way into the contest and pushed forward in the second half. They dominated possession and created opportunities, but Diamond Harbour FC held firm with disciplined defending. Goalkeeper Mirshad K was outstanding between the posts, producing a series of assured saves to maintain his side’s clean sheet.

The result capped another milestone in a memorable first campaign for Diamond Harbour, who have now reached the semi-finals in their first appearance at Asia’s oldest football tournament.

Related tags:

Mohun Bagan Super GiantJamshedpur FCEast Bengal FC