Kalinga Super Cup semi-final: East Bengal FC beat Jamshedpur FC 2-0 to advance to final
Hijazi Maher and Javier Siverio shine as East Bengal FC beat Jamshedpur FC 2-0 to reach the Kalinga Super Cup final.
East Bengal FC advanced to the Kalinga Super Cup 2024 final with a 2-0 victory over Jamshedpur FC in the first semi-final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Hijazi Maher opened the scoring for the Red and Gold Brigade in the 19th minute, giving his team a well-deserved lead. In the 47th minute, Javier Siverio doubled the lead for East Bengal FC, securing a 2-0 victory in the match.
VIIICCCTOOOORY! Into the Super Cup final after 6️⃣ years!
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) January 24, 2024
That’s #BangalPower for you! ❤️💛💪#KalingaSuperCup #JoyEastBengal #EBJFC pic.twitter.com/Xhh8S3RZea
The Kolkata giants started strong, earning their first corner of the game as early as the third minute. Nishu Kumar and Vishnu PV both came close to scoring the opener around the 10-minute mark, but finally, it was Maher who gave them the lead. Cleiton Silva delivered a pinpoint corner that Saul Crespo beautifully set up for the Jordanian defender, who successfully slotted the ball behind the opposition goalkeeper.
Jamshedpur FC almost scored the equalizer through Rei Tachikawa in the 29th minute when Thongkosiem Haokip's precision pass found Tachikawa near the East Bengal FC box, but Prabhsukhan Gill pulled off a brilliant save to maintain his team's lead.
The Men of Steel applied more pressure towards the end of the first half, but East Bengal FC's defence stood firm, keeping the score at 1-0 until halftime.
The Red and Gold Brigade continued their domination over Jamshedpur FC into the second half. Within a couple of minutes from the whistle, Siverio made it 2-0. Nandhakumar's trickery pass found Nishu Kumar, who made an exceptional overlapping run into the final third and sent a grounded cross for Siverio. The Spaniard made no mistake in finding the back of the net from close range.
The Red & Gold Brigade are 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥! 👊#EBFCJFC #KalingaSuperCup #IndianFootball #EastBengalFC | @eastbengal_fc @JioCinema @ILeague_aiff @ebultras1920 @EBRPFC pic.twitter.com/MvPCZmJPAJ
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 24, 2024
The Men of Steel couldn’t keep up with the pressure created by the East Bengal FC frontline and eventually gave away a penalty in the 82nd minute for a reckless tackle on Sayan Banerjee, who had just come on as a substitute in the 80th minute. Banerjee displayed exceptional footwork to earn his team the penalty, but East Bengal FC captain Cleiton Silva failed to convert as the ball hit the post.
Jamshedpur FC tried some last-ditch attempts, but a header from Elsinho was again saved by the East Bengal FC custodian Gill, keeping the scoreline 2-0 until the final whistle.
East Bengal FC are set to face the winners of the second semi-final, which will be either Odisha FC or Mumbai City FC. The final is scheduled for January 28, 2024, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, kicking off at 7:30 PM IST.