Indian Super League (ISL) sides Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC secured victories in their respective quarter-final fixtures of the Kalinga Super Cup on Sunday, sealing their places in the semi-finals. On Wednesday, the two teams will face each other in the second semi-final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Mumbai City FC pip Inter Kashi

In the day's opening fixture, Mumbai City FC secured a hard-fought win over I-League side Inter Kashi. A second-half goal from captain Lallianzuala Chhangte saw them progress into the final four of the competition.

Both sides took a cautious approach from the outset. Inter Kashi, who adopted an aggressive approach against the Blues in the Round of 16, took a more measured approach against the Islanders. In the 16th minute, Hitesh Sharma fed it forward for Nikolaos Karelis, but his effort from distance went wide. The game was shortly halted due to a bee attack, and post-resumption, it picked up pace.

Mumbai City FC’s injury woes worsened with Nathan Rodrigues going off injured in stoppage time of the first half, with Thaer Krouma taking his place. The first real opportunity for Inter Kashi came when Prasanth K was through on goal in the final minutes of the stoppage time, but Krouma made a timely tackle. Mario Barco took a shot from the loose ball, but it was deflected off for a corner, while Nikola Stojanović blasted his effort inside the box over the bar from the resultant corner, with the game remaining goalless at the break.

The Islanders intensified their attack in the second half. Mehtab Singh hit the crossbar from a corner in the 53rd minute, while Karelis’ acrobatic attempt from the rebound missed the target. In the 71st minute, Mumbai City FC launched a quick counter-attack with Jorge Ortiz taking the lead role. He saw his efforts twice blocked before Chhangte found the back of the net at the third attempt to break the deadlock.

Petr Kratky’s side managed the remainder of the game well to seal a place in the semi-finals.

Jamshedpur FC see off NorthEast United FC in the penalty shootout

Later in the evening, Jamshedpur FC edged out NorthEast United FC 5-3 on penalties after a tense goalless draw over 90 minutes.

The match started at a lively pace. In the 11th minute, Javier Siverio tested Gurmeet Singh, who tipped the effort out for a corner. Moments later, Alaaeddine Ajaraie’s long-range free-kick was headed towards goal but was brilliantly tipped onto the woodwork by Albino Gomes. Both teams settled after the early exchanges, and the game remained goalless at halftime.

Early in the second half, Jithin MS came close with a volley from outside the box, but it flashed inches wide.

As the match wore on, both sides tightened up defensively, determined not to concede. In the 73rd minute, Jordan Murray’s header from a Javi Hernandez cross was comfortably collected by Gurmeet Singh. With neither side able to find a breakthrough, the tie headed to penalties.

NorthEast United FC stumbled early in the shootout, with Guillermo Fernandez and captain Michel Zabaco missing their spot-kicks. Gurmeet Singh kept them alive with a save, while Stephen Eze missed his shot as sudden death was required. Asheer Akhtar’s miss finally handed Jamshedpur FC a 5-3 win in the shootout, sending them into the semi-finals of the Kalinga Super Cup for the second year running.