Mohun Bagan beat Indian Navy in their final group match of the Durand Cup 2019 on Saturday at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
Spanish midfielder Francisco Gonzalez scored the only goal of the match from a penalty in the 58th minute to seal three points for his side.
Antonio Vicuna made seven changes to the starting XI which managed a 1-1 draw in the midweek Calcutta Football League (CFL) clash against Calcutta Customs. Only Lalchhawnkima, Nongtamba Naorem, Francisco Gonzalez and VP Suhair retained their place.
Having already qualified for the semifinal of the Durand Cup, Vicuna had the liberty to experiment with the lineup and he fielded just one foreign player on Saturday. Academy graduate Subha Ghosh started alongside Suhair upfront.
In a relatively drab first half, it was Mohun Bagan who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and were the dominant side throughout the first 45 minutes. They created quite a few chances but were unfortunate to not find the back of the net.
Indian Navy got the only chance of the match in the 43rd minute when former Bagan player Britto PM attempted a shot from distance which almost hit the top corner of the net but Debjit Majumder managed to fist the ball off target.
After much diligence, the Green and Maroons finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute. Former Mohun Bagan defender Dalraj Singh brought down SK. Faiaz inside the box to concede a silly penalty and Fran Gonzalez scored from the spot-kick.
Indian Navy were all over the Kolkata giants after the first goal and attacked in numbers. They were desperate to score get back into the game and end their campaign with a draw.
Mohun Bagan players were once again out of breath after the hour mark as Indian Navy increased their intensity in the attacking third but the scoreline remained unchanged.
Just like their arch-rivals, Mohun Bagan ended the group stage with three wins from three matches. They will face Real Kashmir FC in the second semifinal on August 21.
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