Close call: Indian Navy goalkeeper Robinson thwarts an attempt by Mohammedan Sporting forward Lalthankima
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri
Mohammedan Sporting SC picked up the first win of the tournament in its concluding Group B league outing as it downed Indian Navy FT by a solitary goal in the 133rd Durand Cup at the Kishore Bharati Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday (August 13, 2024).
Midfielder Sujit Singh scored the only goal of the match midway through the opening half to secure the full quota of points for Mohammedan Sporting, which ended its campaign on four points gained from a win and a draw. It lost against Bengaluru FC, which qualified to the quarterfinals with an all-win record.
The four points helped Mohammedan Sporting finish in second place while the Indian Navy lost all its three matches to finish at the bottom. Inter Kashi tied with Mohammedan Sporting on points but fell to the third spot with an inferior goal difference. This was virtually the end of the road for Sporting as there are five teams with six or more points competing for the two quarterfinal spots reserved for the two best runners-up.
Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army FC got the better of local challenger Rangdajied United FC 2-0 in a Group F match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. Both the goals were scored by the Tribhuvan Army forward Gillespye Karki, who found the target once in each half. This was the first win for the Nepalese Army team, which finished third in the group with three points while Rangdajied, which replaced Hyderabad FC after it failed to turn up, lost all three matches to finish at the bottom of the group. Host Shillong Lajong FC and FC Goa occupy the top two positions in the group with six points each and will meet on August 17 to decide the team qualifying to the last-eight stage.
The results:
Group B (Kolkata): Mohammedan SC 1 (Sujit Singh 25) bt Indian Navy FT 0.
Group F (Shillong): Tribhuvan Army FC 2 (Gillespye Karki 21, 57-pen) bt Rangdajied United 0.
