East Bengal Hold Nerve In Shootout, Beat SC Delhi To Reach Durand Cup Final

East Bengal kept their Durand Cup title hopes alive with a nervy 5-3 penalty shootout victory over a determined SC Delhi after their semifinal ended goalless in regulation time at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday, August 19.

Chasing a record-equalling 17th Durand Cup title, East Bengal will now face the winners of Thursday’s semifinal between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and defending champions NorthEast United FC in Sunday’s final.

The victory also keeps alive the possibility of another Kolkata derby in the summit clash, which would be a repeat of the 2023 final that Mohun Bagan won.

East Bengal were flawless from the penalty spot, converting all five attempts. Anwar Ali, Rohit Danu, Lalchungnunga and Chris Ikonomidis all found the net before captain Mohammed Rashid stepped up for the decisive fifth kick.

Rashid, who had endured an otherwise frustrating evening, calmly sent the ball into the corner to seal East Bengal’s passage to the final.

SC Delhi stayed in the contest through Rodriguinho, Duvan and Mohammed Aimen, but their hopes ultimately ended in the shootout.

Earlier, East Bengal had dominated much of the match but could not find a breakthrough. They enjoyed around 60 per cent possession and managed 20 shots, yet SC Delhi’s disciplined defence and goalkeeper Nora Fernandes repeatedly frustrated them.

Rashid came agonisingly close in the 16th minute when his free-kick rattled the crossbar. He struck the post again with a long-range effort in the 74th minute, underlining East Bengal’s frustrating night in front of goal.

SC Delhi had their biggest opportunity in the 33rd minute when they were awarded a penalty after Rodriguinho went down following a challenge from Mandi. However, East Bengal goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill read the attempt perfectly and made an important save to keep the scores level.

East Bengal continued to push after the break, with Rashid and Bipin Singh creating problems for the Delhi defence. Fernandes made another crucial intervention in the 75th minute, rushing off her line to deny Hmar after a dangerous attack from the left.

SC Delhi defended resolutely through the closing stages and survived six minutes of added time to force the match into a shootout.

Under Durand Cup knockout rules, matches level after 90 minutes go directly to penalties without extra time. East Bengal ultimately showed greater composure from the spot, earning their place in Sunday’s final and moving one step closer to a record-equalling 17th title.