Mohun Bagan Super Giant 6-0 CISF Protectors, Durand Cup: Mariners Cruise Into Quarter-Final With Dominant Victory

Mohun Bagan Super Giant delivered a masterclass on Monday in Kolkata, overwhelming CISF Protectors with a resounding 6–0 victory to secure a dominant entry into the quarter-finals of the 135th Durand Cup.

Sahal Abdul Samad spearheaded the onslaught with a dazzling first-half hat-trick (17', 19', 37'), while contributions from Manvir Singh (24'), Jamie Maclaren (68'), and Tekcham Abhishek Singh (73') rounded off the comprehensive victory.

The commanding victory propelled the Mariners to the top of Group A with a flawless nine points from three matches, whereas CISF Protectors bowed out of the competition empty-handed without registering a single point.

Having already secured their quarter-final berth with victories in their opening two fixtures, Mohun Bagan immediately asserted their dominance from the opening whistle, though the CISF backline initially stood firm to frustrate the Mariners during a cagey opening quarter-hour.

The stubborn CISF resistance finally shattered when Dejan Dražić unlocked the defense with a magnificent long-range pass from deep inside his own half to release Tekcham Abhishek Singh. Although Abhishek's initial attempt suffered a deflection, the loose ball kindly fell into the path of Liston Colaco, who unselfishly squared it across for Sahal to tap home the opening goal.

The momentum quickly snowballed just two minutes later as Sahal doubled his and the team's tally. The move ignited when Manvir Singh played a neat ball down the right flank to release Dejan Dražić, whose precise cross picked out Sahal for a comfortable tap-in.

Continuing the relentless first-half surge, Manvir compounded CISF's woes by making it 3-0, expertly bringing down Tekcham's inviting cross inside the box before slotting home with composed precision.t.

Sahal capped off a sensational individual first half in spectacular fashion, collecting the ball near the halfway line before gliding effortlessly past a flurry of defenders and slotting a composed, clinical right-footed finish past the goalkeeper.

Dominating proceedings with an overwhelming 75% possession stat, Mohun Bagan completely dictated the tempo of the match to head into the half-time break with a comfortable and commanding four-goal cushion.

Although CISF coach Panagiotis Dilimperis rolled the dice with a quadruple substitution at the interval, the Mariners showed no signs of slowing down their relentless onslaught. With both Manvir and Liston threatening with close-range attempts shortly after the restart, Mohun Bagan eventually capitalized on their sustained dominance to add a fifth goal to their tally.

Sahal then turned creator with a touch of sheer class, threading an exquisite no-look through ball to release substitute Jamie Maclaren, who kept his cool under pressure to slide the ball neatly through the goalkeeper's legs.

Tekcham rounded off the resounding victory in style, combining effectively with Liston Colaco before unleashing a powerful strike into the roof of the net to seal the 6-0 scoreline.

Despite Mohun Bagan's overwhelming dominance, CISF managed to mount late threats through Gaurab Das and Gurpal Singh, but goalkeeper Syed Zahid Hussain stood firm under the crossbar to comfortably preserve his clean sheet.

(Using PTI Inputs)