A brace from Abiola Dauda sends Mohammedan into the Durand Cup Semi-Final
The runners-up of the previous edition have ended the current Durand Cup campaign of Kerala Blasters after defeating them on a 3-0 scoreline. The first quarter-final fixture turned out to be a one-sided saga as Mohammedan emerged victorious and advanced to the semi-final round without facing many obstacles.
The opening goal of SK Faiaz and then a marvellous brace from Abiola Dauda ensured the victory for the Black Panthers at the Salt Lake Stadium.
The game had a steady kick-off as both combatants took a little bit of time to settle down on the battlefield. The Tuskers were showing positive intent by getting the ball quickly but just couldn’t keep the ball possession for a longer time and always gave it away cheaply. Meanwhile, the Black Panthers seemed a more stable side on the field through their rapid ball recoveries in the initial stages of the game.
The initial dominance finally paid off when Mohammedan got the first breakthrough and opened the scoreline in the 17th minute of the play. The MSC skipper Marcus Joseph was the architect behind it as his impenetrable cross in the final third reached Faiaz who was ready with a beautiful tap-in strike to bring them onto the driving seat. SK Faiaz bagged his second goal of the tournament while the 31-year-old Jamaican striker registered his third goal contribution for his club.
The KBFC side was unable to score the equalising goal as whenever the midfield was trying to move the ball forward, the attacking unit always found themselves in defensive positions. The defensive wall of the Black Panthers remained impassable for the opposition throughout the first half with a solidified style of defending. The first half action ended with the Blasters dropping the sitter when the Number 10 Gaurav Kankonkar missed the golden opportunity to level the scoreline.
The Mohammedan gaffer Andrey Chernyshov returned to the battlefield after the half-time break with a couple of changes to storm even harder in the latter half. Kean Lewis and Abiola Dauda replaced Nuriddin Davronov and Gopi in the playing lineup as both of the changes indicated the aggressive approach of the Black Panthers. However, Tomasz Pawel Tchorz did not go for any changes and named the same eleven for the second half as well.
The aggressive approach was working fine for the home team as the defensive unit of KBFC had to sweat out hard while defending their goal.
An unforgettable debut night for the Nigerian
In just minutes after his arrival on the pitch, Dauda got very close to doubling their lead as the Kerala defender Marvan Hussain was inches away from scoring his own goal. It was followed by another counter-attack from the Black and White outfit where the super goalkeeping from captain Sachin Suresh kept the scoresheet unaffected.
However, the KBFC skipper couldn’t keep the Black Panthers quiet for a longer time as they finally got their first goal of the second half in the 59th minute. Faiaz released a pitch-perfect through ball for the Dauda who once again got in a one-on-one situation with the keeper but didn’t miss the target this time. The towering Nigerian forward who arrived at the Kolkata-based club in this summer transfer window brought up his debut goal for his new home.
Kerala Blasters showed some high moments in patches where they were edging past their counterparts but couldn’t stay consistent by it. When the game was about to wrap up, Abiola Dauda scored another goal to make the night more memorable for him. This time it was Abhishek Ambekar who provided a crossing assist to Dauda whose header delivered the ball directly into the net.
The substitution of Abiola Dauda was the point from when the Tuskers were utterly sidelined from the match equation by the home team. The Mohammedan skipper Marcus Joseph played a pivotal role in this triumph as all three goal-scoring moves were initiated by him. The 27-year-old Indian winger Faiaz made two goal contributions consisting of one goal and one assist in this fixture.
And it’s a wrap-up for the Blasters
The final scoreline was 3-0 in the favour of the home team when the referee Crystal John blew the full-time whistle. However, the Manjappada fans were still proud of their young guns who went through a rollercoaster ride at this prestigious tournament. It was a great Durand Cup campaign for the young Blasters and now, they will be joining the main squad for the further ISL preparations with a positive outcome.
Mohammedan Sporting Club has advanced to the semi-final stages of the Durand Cup for consecutive editions and must be aiming to reach the Grand Finale too. The Black Panthers will be having an eye on the Quarter-final tie between Mumbai City and Chennaiyin as the winner of that contest will be up against them in the penultimate round.
