Shillong Lajong FC held FC Goa to a 1-1 draw in the concluding Group F match of the 133rd Durand Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong to top the group and ensure a quarterfinal berth in the process. Needing just one point to qualify, Shillong Lajong secured it against a 10-man FC Goa to progress to the knock-out stage. Both the teams were locked on seven points each but Shillong Lajong topped the group with a better goal difference. Marcos Rudwere Silva scored first for Shillong Lajong before Devendra Murgaonkar levelled the issue for FC Goa, which was reduced to 10 men in the 81st minute when its custodian Hritik Tiwari was ejected with a straight red.
Shillong Lajong joined the other group winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Indian Army FT, NorthEast United FC in the quarterfinals. Punjab FC and Emami East Bengal also booked their places in the last-eight stage as the two best second placed sides (each having seven points and superior goal difference). FC Goa also had seven points but was edged out by East Bengal which had a goal difference of plus four compared to the former’s plus two.
According to the fixtures tentatively released by the organisers, the first set of quarterfinals will take place on August 21 where East Bengal will meet Shillong Lajong in Shillong while NorthEast United FC will take on Indian Army FT at Kokrajhar. The remaining two quarterfinals will be played on August 23 where Mohun Bagan SG will meet Punjab FC at Jamshedpur while Bengaluru FC will take on Kerala Blasters FC at Kolkata.
The result:
Group F (Shillong): Shillong Lajong FC 1 (Marcos Rudwere Silva 30) drew with FC Goa 1 (Devendra Murgaonkar 32)
