Durand Cup: Mumbai City FC qualifies for quarters with 4-0 win over Indian Navy, Bodoland secures first win

Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Greg Stewart, Gurkirat Singh and Nathan Asher Rodrigues scored for Mumbai, which finished the group stage with nine points from three matches.

Mumbai City’s Jorge Pereyra Diaz in training. | Photo Credit: X @MumbaiCityFC

Mumbai City FC completed its group-B league engagement with a dominating 4-0 win over Indian Navy Football Team, in the 132nd Durand Cup football at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.

Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Greg Stewart, Gurkirat Singh and Nathan Rodrigues found the target for Mumbai City, which finished its group league engagements winning all its three matches comfortably to secure the top spot in group-B.

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Mumbai City, which is the current holder of the Indian Super League (ISL) league winner’s Shield, will now have to wait for the completion of the group league formalities and participate in an ‘online draw’ that will decide the quarterfinal line-up. This is an unprecedented method adopted by the Durand Cup organisers to determine the last-eight fixtures featuring the six group winners and two best runners-up.

In the second match of the day, debutant Bodoland FC stunned Super Cup winner Odisha FC 2-1 in the group-F league to pick its first win in a major national tournament. The second half saw all the action as Odisha FC found the lead just past the hour mark with Pungte Lapung finding the target.

Bodoland FC made a strong comeback in the final quarter when Maneshwar Mushahary found the equaliser in the 80 ^th minute before Cameroonian Zacharie Mbenda scored the winner in the final minute of the regulation time.

Finishing their league schedule with three points each, both Bodoland and Odisha crashed out leaving Indian Army, which is currently at the top with six points, and Rajasthan United FC (three points) to fight for the lone quarterfinal spot.

NorthEast United FC and Downtown Heroes will clash in a Group D match at Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic stadium, while Mohammedan Sporting and Jamshedpur FC will face off at the Kishore Bharati Stadium in Kolkata in Group B on Sunday.

The results:

Group B (Kolkata): Mumbai City FC 2 (Pereyra Diaz 34, Greg Stewart 62, Gurkirat Singh 75, Nathan Rodrigues 90+4) bt Indian Navy FT 0.

Group F (Kokrajhar): Bodoland FC 2 (Maneshwar Mushahary 80, Zacharie Mbenda 90) bt Odisha FC 1 (Pungte Lapung 62).