Picture Credit: Twitter
Bengaluru FC clinched the 131st edition of the Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata after defeating Mumbai City FC 2-1. Sivasakhti Narayanan (10th minute) and Brazilian Alan Costa's (61st minute) goal guided Sunil Chettri's side to yet another trophy in an illustrious cabinet comprising ISL 2018-19, two I-League titles and three Federation Cup titles.
The Blues took an early lead in the game courtesy of Siva Shakti's fifth goal in the tournament. The long pass from the deep by Jovanovic, put Mourtada Fall under pressure with Siva on his shoulder. The Senegalese defender was in the end foxed by the bounce and Siva pounced over it with a measured chip over the keeper.
Later Chhangte had the first opportunity for the islanders in the 17th minute and eventually, Mumbai did net the equalizer at the half-hour mark when Sandesh Jhingan gave away a free kick in a dangerous zone. The game kept the players and fans on their toes in the second half as well.
Five minutes after the resumption, Jahouh delivered a measured long ball which fell for Chhangte who did well to get away from two BFC defenders, but with just the keeper to beat, the tournament's highest scorer shot over. The most noteworthy chance for Mumbai came in the second half through Spanish midfielder Ripoll in the 77th minute when he went on a solo run from midfield and unleashed a booming drive which beat Gurpreet but struck the left upright and came back.
The skipper of Bengaluru FC Sunil Chhetri had a couple of golden opportunities to score, once in the 69th minute, when his left-footed strike missed the target and then again in the 87th when he was one-on-one with the keeper, but Lachenpa was up to it and brought off a great save. Earlier, Bengaluru FC topped the Group A in the league stage as they went on to finish second behind Mohamedan Sporting.
