Durand Cup: Delhi FC beats Kerala Blasters 1-0, reaches quarterfinals

Willis Plaza's second-half strike gave Delhi FC its first-ever quarterfinal berth in the Durand Cup as it beat Kerala Blasters 1-0.

Action from the contest between Delhi FC and Kerala Blasters. - SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Willis Plaza's second-half strike gave Delhi FC its first-ever quarterfinal berth in the Durand Cup as it beat Kerala Blasters 1-0 in its third and final group fixture at the Kalyani Stadium here on Wednesday. Bengaluru FC also made it to the quarterfinals with a 5-3 win over Indian Navy.

The teams were 0-0 in a lively first half which saw numerous chances created. Plaza made an impact soon after being introduced, dodging three defenders for a shot at the goal. Later, Samuel Shadap's shot at the goal from a distance was nearly spilled by the Blasters goalkeeper, who had made a couple of excellent saves early on.

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Early in the second half, Plaza's shot at goal from the box was parried away by the goalkeeper. In the 52nd minute, he received the ball in the box with his back to the goal, dodged two defenders, dragged it onto his left, and found the bottom corner of the near post.

Later, Delhi FC's Anwar Ali made a stunning goalline clearance to prevent Blasters from levelling the scores.

At Kalyani stadium Delhi FC 1 (Willis Plaza 52') beat Kerala Blasters 0 At Salt Lake Stadium Bengaluru FC 5 (Augustine 53', Harmanpreet 61', 68', A. Chhetri 75' (P), Thoi Singh 92') beat Indian Navy 3 (Jijo 19', Sreyas 30', Vijay 94')