Seasoned Brazilian midfielder Juan Quero's double strike powered DSK Shivajians to a 2-0 upset win over Bengaluru FC in a Group B clash of the Federation Cup at the Barabati Stadium here on Wednesday.
The extraordinary win kept Shivajians in the hunt for a spot in the semifinals.
Mohun Bagan beat Shillong Lajong 3-2 to virtually advance to last four with two wins.
Following a goalless opening half, where Bengaluru came to scoring twice, the former I-League champion pressed hard. However, goalkeeper Subrata Paul, playing his first match after testing positive for a banned substance, stood like a rock to block all threats.
Jerry Mawhimingthanga marked Sunil Chhetri strongly to leave his idol frustrated as Bengaluru, which had trounced Shivajians 7-0 at home in the I-League two weeks ago, failed to seize initiative.
Shivajians started with six youngsters from its academy to infuse energy into the side. It counter-attacked under the guidance of the experienced Quero to rattle the rivals.
With Bengaluru players losing steam, the momentum shifted towards Shivajians in the last 20 minutes. Bengaluru custodian Lalthuammawia Ralte brought down Lallianzuala Chhangte inside the box and conceded a penalty in the 71st minute. Quero made no mistake in slotting it in as Ralte moved the other way.
Five minutes later, another hara-kiri deflated Bengaluru. Udanta Singh tripped Chhangte outside the area and Quero found a hole to fire his free-kick straight into the net.
After conceding a third-minute own goal, Mohun Bagan piled misery on Shillong through a series of well-crafted attacks. Daryl Duffy beat the goalkeeper in the fifth minute, Sony Norde converted a free-kick and later assisted Katsumi Yusa to make it 3-1.
Even as Yuta Kinowaki narrowed the margin in the 80th minute, Bagan managed to maintain its lead. It was the end of the road for Shillong after two defeats.
The results: DSK Shivajians 2 (Quero 71, 76) bt Bengaluru FC 0; Mohun Bagan 3 (Daryl Duffy 5, Norde 23, Yusa 43) bt Shillong Lajong FC 2 (Pritam Kotal (OG) 3, Kinowaki 80).
Thursday's fixtures: Group A: Chennai City FC vs Churchill Brothers (4 p.m.); Aizawl FC vs East Bengal (7 p.m.).
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